


Psycho-Pass: Unregistered

by kittyelephant, ThatGinjahNinja



Category: Psycho-Pass
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Blood Pinata, Blow Jobs, Budding Love, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Cunnilingus, Dark Past, Dominator - Freeform, Dysfunctional Relationships, Dystopia, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Smut, Falling In Love, Gino - Freeform, Love Triangles, Masturbation, Memory Alteration, Memory Loss, Multi, Mystery, Original Character(s), Polyamory Negotiations, Psychological Drama, Psychological Trauma, Psychologists & Psychiatrists, Rehabilitation, Rough Sex, Sex, Sexual Content, Shameless Smut, Shower Sex, Therapy, Unregistered, Unrequited Love, kou - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2018-05-02 00:29:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 168,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5226968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittyelephant/pseuds/kittyelephant, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatGinjahNinja/pseuds/ThatGinjahNinja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a slightly alternate timeline, Kougami is dealing with the fact that Akane chose instead to sacrifice herself to end his obsession and send him on the hunt for his own answers over the Sybil System.<br/>Inspector Ginoza gets a new partner with a tragic past, but finds himself desperate to see her overcome.<br/>Division One adds a mysterious new enforcer from a sub-culture of Japan that no one seems to know anything about. Unlocking the missing last five years of her life could prove to be the key to solving even more of Sybil's "necessary" misdeeds.<br/>But is there any option where these people can live happily without the corruption of the Sybil System, or is it their fate no matter what timeline to suffer terrible pain and loss?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Obsession Unfulfilled

**Author's Note:**

> This alternate timeline story begins a few months after the death of Makashima and Kagari. Instead of Kougami completing his goal and killing Makashima or storyline deviates in the parking garage where Kou is leaving with Division Two. He is not stopped from aiding them. Akane still finds out the true nature of Sybil, but makes the opposite decision. She makes a threat that she has hidden evidence that will destroy their whole system if Kougami dies because of Sybil and she goes after Makashima herself (addressed more in depth in the story)
> 
> I hope staunch Akane fans (myself included) will still give this story a chance. My friend/co-author and I really wanted a chance to write some OC for this fandom and so this was the best route we came up with for our story purposes. If you love flustered, grumpy Ginoza or smooth, badass Kougami as much as we do, we hope you'll like this fanfiction and our Original Characters.
> 
> Thanks for reading! It makes our day to share with the fandom! ^_^

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> co-authored with jolibrix

 

Nobuchika Ginoza would never admit it, but at first, he had worried over bringing in a new inspector.  In fact, when his new Division One partner had first entered his office, he had not even looked up from his paperwork.  A part of him, the one that Nobuchika was loathe to admit existed, was afraid that when he raised his eyes, it would be Akane Tsunemori in front of the desk, or rather the ghost of her, ready to cast more doubt on his view of the world.  The green-eyed man was self-aware enough to know he couldn't handle that with his hue already dangerously clouded.  He had seen Inspector Tsunemori around him more than once since her death, and he was struggling to maintain, increasing his visits with his therapist to almost daily.  If this new Inspector was anything like Akane, he feared it would push him over the edge.

Instead, he found not a short slip of a girl, but a tall, slender, yet full-hipped woman. This new inspector had strawberry red hair, which she mostly wore formed into a long braid that fell over her right shoulder.  The natural coloring of her hair was something one didn’t often come across in Japan.  She was striking, and the first time they met, he felt a warmth at the back of his neck.  It was rare for any woman to arouse his interests so immediately, so Ginoza quickly turned his attraction into annoyance, where he was most comfortable.  

It was impossible not to notice all the differences between his former partner and the woman who introduced herself as Inspector Erra Kamiya.  For one, there was little to no naivety in her eyes the way he had noted in Akane during their first meeting.  Kamiya was older than the ghost that haunted his office, only two years younger than Ginoza himself.  After reading her file, he wasn't surprised that she had had a whole other career before, as a therapist.  The surety and confidence this new inspector's presence held was refreshing.  He hadn’t felt like she was a child with no idea what she was doing in the CID.  It was clear from the start that she knew what she was working towards.  

The differences piled up after their first case.  It became apparent that Erra knew protocol and followed it.  This was refreshing for him, and it made the phantom in his head fade more… slowly but surely.  There was no way he could have handled another Tsunemori.  Someone constantly pushing him by breaking protocol and defying him rudely at every turn…he had been worked over enough by his last partner and was glad that Inspector Kamiya seemed to value his advice and opinions.  If she chose not to take them, she seemed to try first explaining herself calmly and away from listening ears of enforcers and other co-workers.

If there was one area where the women were similar, it was that very little seemed to nudge Kamiya’s psycho-pass numbers any higher.  She seemed to have accepted whatever her view of the world held and didn’t appear to get ruffled easily—not yet, anyway.

Gino found that they worked well as partners, and more often than not, they were on the same page.  After three cases, they were already needing less verbal planning.  His naturally intuitive partner was excellent at reading people’s non-verbal cues, and it was a skill she used to her advantage.  Kamiya also wasn't putting up with any unorthodox detective work from the enforcers.  She kept them in line just as well as he did, though he did find that she was friendlier with them than he thought was acceptable.  

For their part, he had to admit those same enforcers were adapting to the new person, but he also noted that they still looked haunted.  Akane, Makashima, and Kagari kept weighing in from the grave it seemed.  Ginoza wasn’t sure any of his team would ever shake those disturbingly confusing memories.  The reduced trio of enforcers, Tomomi Masaoka, Yayoi Kunizuka, and Shinya Kougami struggled daily.  His childhood best friend and ex-partner, Kougami, seemed especially lost.  

Ginoza tried to tell himself that it wasn't his problem.  Why should he care how his former friend was dealing with all the traumatic events?  He knew it was better to keep himself separated emotionally from latent criminals like Kougami.  Still, it didn't stop him from doing visual checks every now and then, looking for signs of Hound 3 falling completely apart.  Kou’s Crime Co-efficient rising to 300 or above was not an option, as far as Gino was concerned.  He felt if he just kept a casual eye on him, maybe he could prevent losing him completely.

In fact, at that very moment, he caught his newest partner eying him with interest after one of those impromptu visual checks.  He hoped she would just ignore the action and go on about her day, but he was becoming familiar enough with Kamiya to know it wasn’t very likely.  She raised an auburn eyebrow, and nodded toward her office.  He followed while wondering if that spectacular teal color of her eyes was as real as her hair’s shade.  

Thoughts like that had been seeping into his thinking as well, and much too often.  They came without permission.  It was always worse when they were alone in close proximity like just then, in her closed office.  Ginoza liked to place people in labeled boxes, making them easier for him to define.  Hers was slowly shifting from one called “PARTNER” to one stamped “DESIRE.”  It was beginning to irritate him more and more, but he had yet to find a way around it.  There was no way not to notice this woman in the tight pencil skirts she wore to HQ.

In fact, it was the talk of most of the CID divisions among the men and some of the women.  Gino tried to be respectful and keep his own eyes anywhere else, but the slight sway of her hips had to be intentional at times.  He thought she might be flirting with him, but then she seemed to have a flirty personality in general.  Other detectives, analysts, and CID paper jockeys fawned and leered over their newest co-worker, and Ginoza found he didn’t like that at all.  He told himself that he wouldn’t have liked such behavior even if he hadn’t been so personally attracted to the woman.

But…she was different with him.  He could at least admit that much.  It seemed she lived to antagonize him more than the others.  It seemed she would wait until she got a rise out of him.

“See something you like, Inspector?” her voice cut through his thoughts.  He had been staring at her ass, which had already led him into imagining what it might look like sans skirt.  

“I apologize.  I was...  What do you have on your mind, Inspector Kamiya?”  Having no good excuse, Ginoza valiantly hoped that there wasn't a guilty blush on his cheeks.  As always, he was annoyed at her ability to draw his thinking away from its secure professional mindset.

“You're worried about Enforcer Kougami.  Why?”  

Involuntarily, he narrowed his eyes.  His immediate defense was always anger.  “Inspector Kamiya.  I don't know what you think...”  

“Don't treat me like I'm an idiot, Ginoza.”  Those pretty orbs flashed with warning for only a moment.  

She approached him, standing so close he could smell her hair.  It almost distracted him from her snappy comment.  Sass was something he’d come to learn she had in spades.  Their brief verbal wars should have made him angry to no end, but more often than not, he found himself thinking of her more than ever after such an exchange.  

Ginoza stopped the knee jerk reaction to flinch when a comforting hand found his arm.  “I know you and the team went through something horrible before I was placed with Division One.  I also know that the files on it are sealed, so it is something you cannot share with me.  I just want to keep reminding you that I was placed with Division One because of my background in psychology.  The chief and the Sybil System came to the conclusion that I can help you all continue recovering your psycho-pass.”

Relaxing, out of habit, fingers went to straighten his glasses.  Kamiya, ever observant, had caught him red-handed and figured out the seed of his issue.  “You are correct to assume I was concerned about that trauma that’s caused, Inspector.”  He hoped that the formal title would help his mind issue the distance from her he needed to regroup his thoughts.

“I can tell you care about your team.  I see how you try to shoulder the burden of everyone in Division One, Ginoza,” she stated, sitting on the edge of her desk, crossing her ankles.  Kamiya gave a sad little smile to him and something in her eyes was worried…and perhaps a little impressed.  It made him uneasy that she could see into him so clearly.  
   
“Tch.  I know not to get too close to our hunting dogs, Kamiya, if that’s what you’re afraid of,” he scolded.  

The pretty redhead rolled her eyes and hopped off the desk, approaching him again.  “I think you should take Enforcer Kougami to interview that Mina Nakamura for the new position.”

He grimaced at the suggestion to break protocol and tried to issue his argument. “That wouldn't be...”

“I won't go with you,” she cut him off calmly.  “You need to take him.  Kougami was the one who helped choose her, and he will probably be best to screen her.  I know you don’t like how he profiles people, but it’s a useful skill in this case.”  She was stern in countenance.  

He found he wanted to scold her and comply with her demands, all at the same time.  “Reading people’s emotional stability is just as useful.  That’s part of the reason you were assigned to Division One.  You are the one who is supposed to accompany me on...”

“Listen,” she began, interrupting him again.  “I understand that you don't want to get to close to your 'hounds,’ but if you want to keep that one from going over the edge, you need to do this.  He’s dangling by a thread out there, Inspector.  It will be therapeutic.  If he just perceives that you trust him in the slightest, it will help your team work better—and it just might save your friend, Gino.”  

She tugged at his tie, a playful gesture, straightening a knot he was sure was already straight.  He was having problems keeping his mind somewhere professional again.

“He’s not my friend,” Ginoza said quietly, trying to come off convincing but struggling to keep his voice steady.  No one had been that familiar with him for ages.  He still couldn’t read if this was just a fun game for her to irritate him or if she was actually flirting.  She pulled the tie from his suit jacket and smoothed her hand down the length of it before tucking it neatly back into his coat.  The vibrant woman hadn’t done it in a way that came across lewd, and yet, Ginoza felt a lump in his throat over how enticing it had been for him.  Hoarsely he added, “—and don’t call me, Gino.”

She raised her eyebrow again, giving him a disapproving look this time.  “Trust me on this.  Group psychology is a specialty of mine,” she finished, pulling her hand away.  

“I thought you were strict about not getting closer to enforcers,” he stated.

“No.  I’m strict about maintaining our control—being good shepherds, and I don’t agree that the best way to do that is to treat them as purely criminal.  Not when it’s to the detriment of our team or someone’s mental health, Inspector,” she finished curtly, effectively making him feel like a small child without even trying.

Ginoza frowned deeply and huffed his utter annoyance.  It made him feel suddenly more like himself to be irritated with his partner.  Indignantly, he turned to leave her office, saying, “You’re the specialist.  If this backfires, it’s your ass on the line, not mine.”

 

********

He dreamed of Akane again, like he had almost every night since her death.  Every night, they were too late in catching up to her, and every night, he was the first to find them.  Makashima sporting several fatal wounds to his chest had already bled out, but Akane, tough to the last, hung on to life.  One glance was all he needed to surmise that she was going to die.  Makashima had eviscerated her.  Shinya could smell it despite the way she had tried to use her coat to keep her insides in.

_That should be me_ , he had thought desperately.  This was supposed to be his death, finally avenging Sasayama and all others who had suffered because of Makashima.  This moment was supposed to be an end to his all-consuming quest for vengeance.  That quest had been his life for longer than he could remember, and when it ended, he was supposed to end too.

After convincing him not to go rogue, to stay with the team, the slight woman, dying in front of him, had stolen his gun and his death.

Bloody and beaten, her eyes loosing focus, she had reached her fisted hand out, and thinking that Tsunemori was seeking comfort in those last moments, he had held it.

Comfort was not her goal.  No, she was handing him a recorded message that he listened to every morning.

 

 

> “Shinya Kougami, if you are hearing this, then I must be dead, and hopefully, Shogo Makashima is as well. I am sure you are angry with me. I did this because I want you to understand that I know now exactly how unjust SYBIL is. Trust your instinct, because it has been right all along. In this situation, killing Makashima is the best choice. Remember, that his blood is not on your hands. It's on mine. You are no criminal.  
>  I made this choice of my own free will...” **_the message turned to static for about five seconds then_** , “Sybil...they have made me a tool, and this is my way of saying no. I can't beat the system, and maybe no one can.” **_A pause and a sniffle indicated that she was probably crying._**  
>  “I can't ponder fighting the system, but you do and can. I don't know if anyone can make a real change, but if it is possible, I believe that you are the one to do it. Keep on questioning the world around you.  
>  Don't forget who and what you are. You aren't a hunting dog, a criminal, or a dead man walking. Kougami you've changed so much since the first time I met you. You are a human being who values living and life. You are a brilliant detective, a protector and savior to those who cannot do so for themselves. Kougami you are capable of helping so many people.  
>  I am unable to tell you the truth, but I charge you with seeking it, Shinya Kougami.  Live and don't doubt the depth of your compassion.”

The message made him realize that this had been her plan all along, and he felt stupid for not seeing it.  She had changed him, and he saw it every day.  Every day, it was a reminder that someone thought he was worth saving.  With every grin, laugh, and joke, he remembered Akane.  The brown eyed inspector had charged him with living and seeking answers, and with all his might, he was trying to honor that request.  

It still haunted him that her message indicated that she knew the truth, and Shinya tried his hardest not to go over every single possibility as to why she was unable to share that truth with him.  

He walked through the halls, attempting to expel that ghost, so he could function, so the guilt wouldn't eat him alive, because that was the exact opposite of why Akane had traded her life. 

This morning was no different.  He smoked, listened to the words that replaced his revenge, and prepared himself for another work day.  Before his feet even entered the office, Gino approached him.

“Kougami, you will be accompanying me to screen our new recruit today.  Be ready to go in ten minutes,” he commanded, giving him a once over.  He had caught his high school friend watching him, and checking over him.  His former partner was worried and trying not to show it.  

Kou was equally as worried, and tried his best to hide that fact out of respect for his Ginoza's wishes that they no longer be friends.  Gino, first and foremost, needed to be well... needed to be happy.  He wanted Ginoza to beat the odds against him and not fall into the same position Kougami occupied now.  

Riding to the facility was quiet and awkward.  Shinya hated the way rehab facilities smelled.  The purified air, antiseptic, and the coldness of the walls made him anxious.  He would've given anything for a smoke, but if he lit up here, Ginoza would probably have kittens.  It didn't help that this was the second time in two days they had been to visit the facility.  The first had left his boss fuming.  Apparently, their newest recruit had been so drugged, talking was not an option.  While Kougami knew he might be overstepping the lines, he had reacted anyway, letting the staff know that tomorrow she had better be able to converse.  Kougami hated the way they drugged people in these shit holes.      
   
As it was, Ginoza was showing a lot of faith letting him tag along to help recruit their newest enforcer.  Typically, Inspector Kamiya would have been the ideal choice for this outing, but for whatever reason, his former partner had chosen to take him.  He had a feeling that new partner of Gino’s had more to do with this than he knew, but still, Shinya had been relieved. Kou tried not to let the sentiment go to his head.

The nurse at the front desk had blanched when they said the name of the person for interview.  “Are you sure that's who you want to talk to?” he had asked, looking like he couldn't believe it.  This was the same reaction they had last time, but from a different member of the staff.    

“What kind of fools work here? Do we look like we would come here for the fun of it or to simply waste our time?  Of course, we’re sure! Bring her to the visitation room,” came Ginoza's bossy response.  When the guy just sat there with his mouth hanging open, the green eyed man lost his patience.  “What are you waiting for?  You have a job to do.  If I must, I will find your superior and tell him what an incompetent employee he has.  Go, get Nakamura!”  Without a second glance, his former partner had turned around and walked toward the area with the interview space, sitting down calmly behind the partitioned glass.  

Kougami, enjoying the dread that fell upon the nurse's face, smirked, and made a shooing gesture after the skittish man.  It was always hilarious to watch Gino’s commanding presence in situations like these.  Still, he had to wonder what had made the nurse go white like that.  It would be unfortunate to find out that his choice of new enforcer wasn't as fitting as he thought.  It would probably shatter the flimsy trust Ginoza had been showing him, as well.  

In the room, Ginoza was cleaning his glasses, looking stern as ever.  Kougami realized that if the task had been left up to the inspector all on his lonesome, they would never recruit a new enforcer.  He seriously had no clue how to approach people unless it was to tell them how moronic they were.  

Instinctively, Kou reached for his cigarettes, but halted.  Green eyes were staring him down, having caught the near mishap.  All Kougami could do was shrug and sit in one of the two seats set out for them.  Within seconds, a woman was sitting in front of them, flanked by two very large orderlies.  One of them had a bruise on his cheek, and looked like he was itching to punch something.  

“You can leave us.  She can't get through the partition.”  The inspector ordered with disdain.  The men looked like they thought differently.

Before leaving, the one with the bruise stated, “If you are looking for a conversation, you're talking to the wrong person.  She hasn't said a word since telling us her name and that was months ago.”  

As Gino, succinctly as ever, explained why they were there and what would be expected of her, she didn't say a word, just looked at them shrewdly.  

While the spiel was being given, Kou studied his choice of new enforcer, and wondered, yet again if he made the right choice.  Mina Nakamura looked somewhat feral.  With mussed chestnut hair and wild but hazy blue eyes that looked at everything suspiciously, she might as well have been a wild animal.  The dark circles under those eyes made her look the part of latent criminal.  Strangely, something in him liked that.  

He noticed that she was curling her fingers over and over again, and then it dawned on him.  They had just woken her up, even though the staff had been told to make sure she was fully cognizant.  She was trying to get the feeling back after being heavily drugged.  Kougami had only experienced it twice and hated it both times.  

Without thinking about the gesture, his hand landed on Gino's shoulder.  Speech halted, and Kou cut in.  “They just woke you up.”  It was a statement, not a question.    

Those blue eyes met his, looking surprised.  He increased his scrutiny of her state, using the profiling he could from their brief encounter.  It was obvious something terrible had been happening to her in this place.

“How long were you under, Nakamura?”  Ginoza asked.      

She didn't break eye contact with Kou, but shook her head, looking like she was about to cry.  The woman's entire focus was on him and the experienced enforcer knew she was implying she had no idea how long.  It made an anger bubble inside of Kougami, knowing this may well be his own fate someday soon.

Before speaking, he felt Gino gently remove Kou's hand from his shoulder.  So caught up in her intense eye contact, the ex-detective had forgotten to remove it himself.

Ginoza sighed.  This was unacceptable, even for him.  He stated, “I'm going to go find out who is responsible for this.  Finish telling her how it works.  I'll be right back.  Make sure she is awake enough to understand.”  

Instead of continuing where his boss left off, he said, “I assume they at least let you read our proposal.”  She nodded and he added, “Your test scores indicated that you would be a good fit for this job.  I’m not going to beat around the bush and give you some deep spiel about how much of a difference you can make in this job.  I chose you out of a list.  Your score’s were commendable and you seemed like a good fit for this Division.  I think you should accept, Nakamura.  At the very least, you wouldn't have to worry about being drugged.”  

She looked him up and down then with a heavy scrutiny, as though she could read something about his sincerity by physical appearance alone.  It was evident that she didn't trust the words.  Mina's eyes were looking for clues as to whether he was telling the truth.  The search ended where they began, unwavering.    

Kougami tried to remember something from her file that would work as leverage.  Clearly, she wanted to be out.  She just didn't know whether or not to trust them.  There had been no real information before she was in the facility.  All they had were test scores and some basic biometric data.  He did recall her sending requests out for books.  That was all he had to work with.  He tried to recall some of the specific authors on her request forms.  

“Listen, I have no reason to lie to you.”  He tried to convey that as sincerely as possible.  “You could possibly die being an enforcer.  To be fair, it looks like you would die in there too.  I’ll tell you whatever you want. Ask me anything.”  

Her lips opened, as though to respond, but closed again.  For only a moment, she closed her eyes and shook her head, as though trying to clear it.  When Nakamura locked eyes with him again, he was struck by how fierce she seemed now that her eyes were changing from the clouded blue haze of being drugged into a natural and brilliant crystal shade.    

Undeterred he quoted, _“How many persons condemned to the horrors of solitary confinement have gone mad-simply because the thinking facilities have grown dormant.”_    

The door behind him opened.

When Ginoza sat down, out of his peripheral vision, Kou saw him look between the two.  “So, what's the decision?”  

His mouth opened to answer, but surprisingly, Mina spoke first.  

“Thank you.”  Her voice cracked.  “For telling them to stop drugging me,” she said, gaze going to Ginoza and then back to him again.  

“You are welcome.  Do you accept our proposal?” the inspector asked, cutting to the chase.  

With a small movement, the wild looking brunette scooted the chair closer to him, mumbled something in a language he had never heard before, and made a fist with her left hand.  She whispered “Kishio, help me.”  

“You got her to talk,” the inspector mumbled from the side of his mouth with something akin to awe.  “They said it's been seven months since she last spoke.”  

“Will I...” the intense eye contact stopped only long enough for her to look and curse to the side, like she was mad at herself for speaking.  “Will I have access to a library?”  

Kougami felt the grin split his face.  Of all the things for her to ask...

“You will have access to reading material,” his superior answered.  Mina spared a glance at the green eyed man, but came immediately back to Shinya, waiting for his answer.  Apparently, she was taking his honesty promise seriously.  He nodded in affirmation.  

“And will I be able to go outside?”   The walls captured her attention.  The look in those blue eyes made him think she wanted to blow the things apart.  

“Under supervision, on cases.”  He answered, knowing that she would accept his response.  

“Then, I accept.”  As the orderlies led her out of the room, she threw back over her shoulder, “Mr. Kougami, you could have convinced me without quoting Jules Verne.”  

“Any fan of Verne is going to have to call me ‘Kou,’” he called through the glass.

As she was led through the door, he watched the little spitfire shoot one last rude gesture back into the room in his direction.

Kougami found himself shaking his head with a lopsided grin, completely amused at his fascinating new choice of partner.

 

 

_**To Be Continued...** _

 

 


	2. Unaccustomed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-authored with jolibrix
> 
> Introducing the OCs, about to throw them into their first mission together as a new team.
> 
> I split the first chapter into 2 since it was so long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **See more detailed explination in first chapter**  
> Hope you all enjoy. It's going to grow into a much larger story.

********

Mina felt more than overwhelmed by the CID.  It was an entirely different culture, and the technology was proving to be more of a hurdle than ever imagined.  Back home, there was nothing close to the stringent atmosphere that surrounded the MWPSB’s main buildings and the modern city of Tokyo, in general.  It didn't help that she could here whispers from enforcers as she walked the halls.  Of course, the words were random and jumbled, but most often “strange,” “awkward,” and “too quiet” were what weeded through.  They were all fitting, which made it even worse for her.  Worse yet, she had no idea how she’d even been placed in this society.

She was more unlike these people than any of them knew.  She was part of Japan that was secret, hidden in the mountains and forests, away from life under Sybil’s great eye.  The founders that had fled the system in the beginning, like her parents, had called their people Unregistereds.  They weren’t in any of Sybil’s massive databanks and nothing was known of them in Tokyo.  Even the members who traded with Sybilites on the black market never mentioned that the goods were for a whole unknown society.  Mina had another set of values, a completely different mindset, a hodge-podged language spoken only amongst her people, and a whole other world that made her quite a misfit in the city.  Her past didn’t resemble the past of her new co-workers at all.

Growing up with her brother and her people in their nomadic lifestyle, she had never felt like the odd one.  Her parents had been respected in the community.  Her older brother, Kishio may have been a troublemaker to the extreme, but he was nothing, if not likable and charismatic.  Mina had been confident, funny, and had known she was capable…once.  Something had happened over the last five years that even she wasn’t aware of.  It was mostly a blank, with occasional blurred nightmares mixed into her subconscious.  When she started realizing what was happening, she was already in Tokyo, stuck in Adashi Municipal Rehab Facility—confidence destroyed, memory lost, and feeling like a scattered and useless mess.

Nakamura was certain that if she could hear the other enforcers and inspectors whispering about her, it would only be a matter of time before the Division One team felt the same way.  She was extremely cautious around these unfamiliar people, struggling to get a feel for their dynamic.  Within a week of arrival, Tomomi Masaoka had nicknamed her 'Trouble' elbowing Shinya Kougami in the ribs and saying, “You know it's the quiet ones you have to watch out for.”  

Mina didn’t want to admit it, because she was determined to hate any of these odd people living in the Sybil System, but she quite liked the old man.  He was easy to talk to and seemed to hold to a more familiar set of values.  The others called him “old school,” but it put her at ease in a way nothing else had since landing herself inside this overwhelming city.

Inspector Kamiya seemed nice enough, but Mina was sure that was an act on the redhead’s part.  She seemed genuinely friendly with everyone and Nakamura felt no one could be that nice.  It made her uncomfortable and she tried her best to distance herself, especially once discovering that Kamiya had a background in therapy.  After the rehab, the very last type of person she wanted to be around was a shrink.  Still, the woman was almost irritatingly persistent.

Mina couldn’t get a good feel for exactly who Shinya Kougami was.  He had been the one to pull her out of rehab. It was Kougami that had gone over her file and decided that, of all the other possibilities, she had the most ability to be an enforcer at the CID with Division One.  Her confidence and background were such that she didn’t understand why anyone would have thought she would make a good candidate for police work, and yet he did. He seemed rough around the edges and not especially inclined to follow the rules, which she liked, but something about him made her feel annoyed.

Yayoi Kunizuka didn’t speak much to Mina, but that might have been because the angry little brunette had been nothing but rude to everyone other than Masaoka since arriving.  If they hated her to begin with, then it wouldn’t make their eventual rejection so upsetting…at least, that’s how she felt.  

If there was any person she was certain that she wouldn’t be getting along with, it was Inspector Ginoza. The two couldn’t have been more different.  She had even caught him grimacing over her ineptitude with the simple office machinery, like the coffee machine or trying to push on the damned automatic doors.

She worried about the first time she would have to go out on a case, because there was no room for error and Inspector Ginoza would be critiquing her every move.  Going back to rehab was not an option.  She would have to get the job done and she would try her very best to follow orders—even if the idea made her slightly queasy.

 

********  
   
Erra was having a bad day.  It wasn't the worst day ever.  It was just bad, and now she was in a mood, to say the least.  It had started with her first ten steps in the door.  One of the security officers came up to her looking frazzled.  

“We can't find Inspector Ginoza, and Enforcer Kougami has vandalized a droid, again.”    

“Take me to him,” she had replied calmly.  That was news to her, that he had a history of that kind of thing.  Either way, she was going to find out what possessed him to vandalize CID property.  As it was, the man was on thin ice.  

They found him, sitting on the floor, smoking a cigarette, holding the circuitry to a now defunct robot that lay dormant about ten feet away.  Frankly, he looked like he didn't give a damn.  It wasn't until the inspector stood right in front of him that he acknowledged her presence.

“They usually send Ginoza to collect me.”

“Yeah, well, today it’s me.  You want to clue me in as to why you felt the need to dismantle part of droid (She read the number from its back panel.) 2H10012?”  She was a bit miffed at his nonchalant attitude.  

“I wanted to smoke.  Right here.”

“And...” she gestured for him to get on with it.  

“And droid 2H10asshole told me that I couldn't, and then it tried to stop me.  So, I took decisive action.”

“You can go now,” she said to the side, dismissing the guard.  “Hound 3, you know you can't smoke here.   It is clearly labeled.”

He just stared straight ahead, looking like he was waiting for her to reign hell on him, which was her original plan, but a careful review of the beginning of their conversation shed new light on the situation.  

He had been waiting on Ginoza.  In fact, if Kamiya had to guess, he had pulled this stunt just to get her partner's attention.  This was his way of acting out, and if she had to speculate, it would probably be safe to say that this behavior had become more frequent since the loss of her predecessor.  Of course, he probably didn't even realize what he was doing.  Whatever had happened to Division One before her assignment had been highly traumatic, for them all, but Kougami had seemed the most out of sorts.

She knew that she would have to be delicate in handling the situation.  This was not the time to call him out on reaching out the only way he knew how for his friend.  Ginoza could deny it all he wanted to, but there was friendship there.  Both men legitimately cared for one another.  One simple, very preliminary therapy session was all she had needed to see it.  

Sighing, she sat next to him, saying nothing and waiting for him to finish his cigarette.  When he was done she said, “C'mon, Ginoza will blow a gasket if we are late.”

“Why aren't you punishing me?”  His voice had an emotionless quality to it.  

“You don't need to be punished.  You need to get to work.”  

When she had made the decision to become an inspector, instead of a therapist, Kamiya hadn’t expected to encounter a group so already disillusioned with the Sybil System.  She couldn’t have them falling apart before she got a chance to find her own answers that she had been seeking the last several years.  The way these people carried on in spite of everything that had happened to them had quickly endeared them to the newest member of the team.  She wanted to help them move past this, ignoring her own misgivings.

But far more important than the urge to genuinely help, was that it was absolutely necessary not to have them draw suspicion towards her.  Erra was certain that she had been placed with this exact team for a reason, and she would do whatever it took to keep it holding together.  Questioning their own faith in the system could be exactly the blessing she could use to her advantage, or it could get her thrown out of the job all together before she found her truth.

Each time she had to convince one of them not to lose their minds, she felt prepared, but it took something out of her that she couldn’t put into words.  Why shouldn’t they be allowed to lose their minds for a while without being punished?

The next incident of the day had occurred while she was observing the team over her computer terminal.  Erra had been watching Masaoka fiddle with an action figure that looked very out of place in his hands.  The look on his face was grim and sad.  He wasn't the only one who had an action figure on his desk.  Actually, all of them had something akin to a toy either on the desk, taped to the computer monitor, or even, in Kougami's case, perched on top of an old handheld video game that he never seemed to play.  Three days was all the time she needed to figure out the trinkets were, in a way, little shrines to the lost enforcer Mina Nakamura was replacing.  

Her partner had seemed to be the only exception, but one day, while looking for a file he had sent her back to fetch, she had opened his center drawer to find not one, but two of the little figurines.  Kamiya imagined that when the former Hound 4 had been declared missing, they had looked through his desk and silently stole the effigies.  It was heartbreaking.  

Erra had been drawn away from her observation by the sound of her partner's chair flying behind him and the man himself striding quickly across the room toward where their newest team member was sitting.  Nakamura was holding one of those action figures, looking at it quizzically.  Kamiya could only surmise that she had found it in the desk.  

Ginoza startled the little brunette by trying to snatch it out of her hands, but her hands had clenched around it.  “Let it go, Nakamura!  You have no right to touch that.”

“What do you mean, 'I have no right.'”  Mina had smartly replied.  Ginoza had been especially hard on her.  Erra had been waiting for them to explode at each other.  

“Hand it over, Hound 4.”

“Why? Because you asked so nicely? Tch.”  Despite her words, the woman had been in the process of handing it over.  Gino missed that fact, completely.

“I don't have to ask.  If you continue to defy my commands you will wind up back in rehab, Nakamura.  If you....”  

Mina had turned white as a sheet dropping the toy on the desk.  “I'm sorry.  If you'll excuse me...” with that she had fled the room.  

Ginoza was fuming, and Kamiya knew that he would just work himself up more if she didn't do anything.  So, with all the professionalism she could muster she requested that he join her in his private office.  

“Ginoza, she doesn't know that was Enforcer Kagari's.”  She stated bluntly, hoping that the fact that she wasn't skirting around the issue would bring him out of the anger pit he was digging.  

“I....” he started.  “How do you know?”  The look on his face was sheepish, as though the fact that he had been caught caring about one of his team members, even if it was a former one, was embarrassing.

“I can put two and two together.  I know that Shuusei Kagari was the enforcer that went missing, and I know from his files that he was young—and the type to enjoy comics and video games.  It makes sense that his disappearance would make the team grieve.”

“Tch, missing,” he muttered the words under his breath, but she caught them nonetheless.  

“Is he not considered missing anymore?  It didn't say anything like that in his file.”

“No... Yes, he is considered missing,” he looked so miserable that Erra couldn't stop her hand from finding his and briefly squeezing.  The startled look on his face made her smile.  

“It's okay to care for them,” she said softly.

“No, it isn’t.  We’ll just end up like Kougami,” he muttered, jerking his hand away.

She let out an enormous sigh and moved around to sit in the chair behind his desk.  She ignored his look of irritation over her taking his seat and gestured to the chair for guests in the room.  Still looking annoyed, he sat.

“Let me ask you something, Inspector,” she began.  “It seems to me that if anyone can put up walls and distance themselves from the people in this division, it’s you.  Would you say that is a fair assessment?”

He actually looked somewhat ashamed as he nodded, which Kamiya found surprising.  “Would you say you put any effort into fostering a personal relationship with Enforcer Kagari?”

“No!  Of course not,” he said, acting as if she had accused him of committing some grievous crime.

“I don’t doubt that, Inspector Ginoza.  You made an effort to avoid caring for your people and yet you grieve this man’s loss as if he were a good friend or even family.”

“That’s ridiculous!  It’s nothing more than a boss who let down—,“ his face fell as the redhead interrupted him with a simple gesture.

As he had been defending himself, Erra had slipped her hand into the drawer and now held up Kagari’s two little figurines.

“You’re angry that I’m touching these, aren’t you?  Angry that I even know they exist?  You want to lay into me like you did with Nakamura, isn’t that true?” she asked, carefully watching his expressions.

“I think it’s time for you to leave my office, Inspector Kamiya,” Ginoza said keeping his eyes hidden behind his lengthy black bangs.

“I agree.”  He seemed surprised that his request didn’t offend her in some way.  “You may not wish to discuss your emotions over this with me, despite that being the reason for my post in your division.  I do hope you’ll consider the fact that even though you tried to make certain you wouldn’t form an attachment for your enforcers, you weren’t able to keep the previous Division One from becoming your family.”

Ginoza’s face looked livid for a moment, standing to open the door for his partner himself.  His face changed to startled again as Kamiya added, “You should also know that I consider that one of your greatest strengths as the leader of this force.”  The two of them stared at one another for several moments.  Gino seemed to be holding his breath.  When he finally gave a short nod, Erra turned and left his office, listening to the soft click of the door closing behind her.

She caught Masaoka’s and Kunizuka’s glances and acknowledged that things were fine, before sitting back in the rolling chair in front of her computer terminal.  

Kamiya spent quite some time absent-mindedly toying with the simple thin ring on her index finger, twirling it around with her thumb, before she finally refocused and began to work again.  She wasn't about to let things get to her before she really even began her quest.

Shortly after, a notification appeared on all of their screens alerting them to the fact that they had a case to attend.

 

**_  
To Be Continued..._ **


	3. Lethal Eliminator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-authored with my lovely BFF  
> jolibrix 
> 
> This chapter definitely has some themes that may be disturbing for some readers. It is Psycho-Pass.
> 
> He couldn't stop himself from asking, “What the hell do you have all over you?” 
> 
> The pretty redhead threw up her hands in exasperation. “I don't even want to talk about it, Kougami. I'm saving that conversation for Inspector Ginoza.”

  
Inspector Ginoza waited for the rest of Division One to gather around the dominator cart to finish the briefing.  They needed to move quickly, and there was no room for error.  Plus, this was going to be Nakamura's first time out, which made him nervous.  She had a defiant streak that could be dangerous, on top of that, he had already threatened to send her to rehab once that day.  There was a chance she might be frightened enough to try and run.  For the millionth time since they rushed out of the CID, he wished that there was a less intense case to have her out on.  As it was, he arranged for her weapon to be locked, just like they had done with Kunizuka on her first outing.   
  
He looked over at Erra and felt a pang of jealousy at her calm demeanor.  She seemed to have no qualms bringing along their newest hound.  Composed though she was, her face was set in a grim expression, belying her anger at the nature of their target.  In fact, he had yet to see her so angry.  He couldn't blame her.  This case was particularly heinous.     
  
When everyone gathered, he brought up a hologram of the man they were going to look for.  “We have to be quick, so everybody arm yourselves while I talk.  This is Mori Sato.”  The face of a balding sallow cheeked man floated into view along with his age and vital statistics.  His teeth ground with the next statement.  “Four children have been abducted and are considered to be in serious danger.”  A quartet of chubby cheeked little boys appeared along with their data.  “Kunizuka will stay behind.  Kougami, you’re with me, and Nakamura and Masaoka will provide assistance for Inspector Kamiya.”  
  
A map replaced the pictures, and Erra chimed in, “The cameras have followed him to this area, here in this shopping mall, and he is effectively trapped there, but it is a lot of ground to cover.  Enforcer Kunizuka, as Inspector Ginoza said, you will stay with the equipment here and help navigate us through this shopping center.  We need your eyes to help us know when we’re facing blind spots.  
The rest of us, we go in as a team.  This man is considered armed and very dangerous, and our first priority is getting the children away from him.  As of now, we have no recent visual on the kids, so be careful and observant. They could already be gone.”    
  
Ginoza watched his partner swallow hard and take a deep breath before finishing commandingly, “No matter their fate, it’s our job to ensure this trash will face Sybil’s justice.”     
  
Gino felt a strange fluttering over her surging confidence.  As they walked toward the double doors that would get them the closest to their target, he watched as Kou explained the dominator to Nakamura.  Inspector Kamiya took the lead, motioning for Nakamura to follow.  Masaoka tailed, eyes already scanning every possible corner.    
  
Ginoza hadn’t needed to motion his enforcer to follow.  He felt a pang of nostalgia for the days they spent as partners, as he and Kou moved like a well-oiled machine, opening the doors and jogging into the mall.  This was exactly the reason he generally didn’t partner the man, but Kamiya had insisted that Nakamura go with her.  Yayoi piped in through their feed, breaking his momentary distraction and checking that she could keep in contact with every member of the team.     
  
The squeaks, clicks, and thuds of shoes echoed in the now empty shopping center, heralding their entrance.  The flashing lights from the many billboards added to an atmosphere of desolation.  If time were not an issue, he would have warned them to be quieter, but they had to move swiftly.  With a series of hand motions, he communicated that they should stay close to the storefronts and under the large balconies.  Sufficient cover was few and far between.  They passed dozens of shops all empty and barred for the lock down.  Hound 2's voice warned them that the target had moved down a narrow hallway about 12 feet to the left, but there were no operational cameras for her to follow him past that point.   
  
They paused at the hallway, assessing the danger.  It was a choke point, and if the kidnapper was smart he would use that to his advantage.  He looked at Kamiya and nodded.  There was no need to signal his intention, she could read him well enough by now.  His partner motioned for Masaoka to take lead, as he did the same for Kougami.  Sticking close to the wall, they filed in, each team taking a side.  Ginoza felt his anxiety rise the further they moved, reacting instinctively when the lights above flickered out.  He grabbed Kougami by the shoulder and roughly pushed him against the wall and into a crouch.  The sound of bodies hitting the wall across from them indicated that the second team was doing the same.  Before the call for retreat could be made, sounds echoed through the hallway... running feet, the feeble screams of children, and slamming doors.     
  
Much to his dismay, there was no way to regroup, because his Shepherd Two’s group was moving forward with haste.  As his eyes adjusted to the weak emergency lighting that finally kicked in, both he and Kougami moved.  It only took a moment to realize that the other team was following a trail of blood.  The small scarlet spread seemed to make everything around it black and white.  Pushing harder, they sprinted to catch up to the rest of Division One.  Without realizing it, he took the lead.  If they couldn't get to the kids in time....he couldn't go there.  Not now, while they still had a chance.     
  
The team came together, but didn't stop.     
  
“Were you able to see anything?” he asked his partner as they ran.   
  
She spoke over in hushed tones, “A man dragging a boy, but not much else.  It was too dark.”  He could tell that seeing the boy was affecting her stress level by the way she bit her bottom lip.  He didn’t want to bring up the fact that she’d only mentioned seeing one child.    
  
It wasn't long until they exploded into a huge warehouse space.  Cautiously, all of them slowed to gain their bearings.  Dimmer light made towers of 10 to 20 feet stacked boxes look like huge monoliths.  The smell of cardboard, plastic wrap, and the copper of blood invaded his nostrils.  A quick look above made it apparent why the kidnappers came this way.  A metal staircase curved its way around the storage room, allowing access to all the levels of the mall.   
  
“Shit!” Erra’s curse echoed around them.  When Gino turned he realized she was pointing at the wall.  He had to step forward to see that it was the breaker for lights, with an ax in it.     
  
He stared at it for a moment, not quite getting what made her so infuriated, and then it dawned on him.  “There's more than one man.  He couldn't have been here to destroy the breaker if he was in the hallway with us!  Damn it!”     
  
“We're going to have to split up to make sure they don't make it to the stairs.  The mall's on lock down, but we need to find them before the kids get hurt,” came Masaoka’s suggestion.  The old man's voice was less than a whisper.     
  
“He's right,” Gino conceded.  He hated splitting up, but knew it was the best way.  “Inspector, take your team to the left.  Tight line search...no more than one stack of boxes between you.  Hound 3 and I will search towards the bottom of the stairwell— try to cut them off.  Don't get too far away from each other.  Keep in contact.”  
  
The situation was more dangerous than expected and Ginoza watched briefly as his partner’s team headed away, suddenly guilty with the knowledge about Nakamura he hadn’t shared.  
  
  
********  
  
Erra, Masaoka, and Mina formed a line, and as directed kept no more than one pillar of boxes between them.  She was itching to move faster... to run.  If something happened to a single one of the children, she wouldn't be able to deal with the guilt.  No child deserved to have something like that happen to him.  Vehemently, she cursed the stars for not having more people.  The space was too big for only Division One to search effectively.  Her ears strained to hear the slightest out of place sound.  Kamiya moved as smoothly as possible, dominator at the ready.  Every time she turned a corner, Erra expected to see a dead child.  This was the most stress she had ever felt on a case.   
  
To her right, she heard a scuffle, and then Pops was speaking loudly and clearly.  “Put the boy down!”  She had never heard him sound that way before, so guttural and commanding.  His tone of voice made it clear that he was not playing games.  Kamiya moved as quickly as she dared.  If the old man hadn't fired yet, it meant that the child was in the line of fire.   
  
Luck was on her side.  She had managed to position herself behind the kidnapper.  From her viewpoint, all she could see was the bright blue of the boy's tennis shoes between the attacker’s legs.  At one point, the kid's ankles buckled, but then righted.  He was still alive.  Masaoka was across the way, a decent distance.      
  
“I already told you, old man.  Drop the piece, and I won't cut him to shreds,” the disturbed Mori Sato demanded.   
  
The little boy's whimper made her grit her teeth.   _Disgusting bastard!_   
  
“I won't do that.  Just let the kid go.”  The old man sounded like he wanted to rip the guy's head off.     
  
Erra slowly moved from her crouch and into Masaoka's view.  The index finger of his left hand twitched slightly at the sight of her.  Smartly, he was making sure the guy didn't discover her presence by keeping him focused on the dominator.     
  
With a grace that at any other time would have been impossible, Kamiya's feet made next to no noise as she came closer to the cretin's back.  Within a foot of her destination though, all hell broke loose.     
  
Masaoka crumpled, and it wasn't until he fell that she saw that the other attacker was behind him, brandishing a baseball bat.  The old man was holding the back of his head, groaning.  Another scream told her that second attacker was dragging one of the children along.  She flinched as he lifted the bat for another hit to her Enforcer’s head.  She managed, “Masao...” and the old man got it.  Sluggishly, he moved out of the way as the bat came down.  Then the massive stack of boxes between the two parties started groaning and leaning.  She heard a feminine grunt and the stack did it again.  The grunt turned into a full out battle cry, and the boxes fell.  As the monstrous pile of cardboard formed, Erra used the distraction to its full advantage.     
  
At the sound of her voice, her target had turned.  She closed the space quickly, and efficiently pulled the arm holding the kid back by its elbow, in attempt to wrap her other arm around the monster’s neck.  He turned out of it, to face her.  The child was screaming as the man used his free arm to grasp at him again.  The arm she had control of was brandishing a large knife.  The fist that came at her wasn't practiced, and with ease was dodged.  Her other hand was activating the dominator.  The weapon was useless until the little boy was out of the way, but her perp didn't know that.  She caught enough of a glimpse of the kid to see that his clothes were cut open, and the outrage she felt couldn't be quantified.     
  
“You son of a bitch!”  Erra quickly slid her hand down from his elbow to his wrist and with a circular motion, stripped him of the blade.  The dominator indicated that, for the first time, she would be using lethal eliminator mode.  He broke free of her hold on his wrist and tried to grab at her throat, but with a quick motion, she threw her forehead against his nose.  A satisfying crack let her know his nose was broken.  The bastard grunted and whined, much to her delight.  Unfortunately, he still kept hold of the child.         
  
Just when Erra thought she was going to have to beat the pervert into submission, Mina quickly but clumsily made her way through the cardboard pile, snuck up, and snatched the kid, moving as far out of the way as possible.  Without thought, Kamiya fired, and was immediately covered with blood, guts, and other pieces of Sato.      
  
In the distance, she saw Pops come to his feet, but then fall back to his knees.  He had been hit pretty hard.  His arm was motioning behind him, and Erra quickly realized the second attacker was getting away.     
  
“Mina!  Go.”  She pointed.  “That way.  The other guy has a hostage, one of the kids.”     
  
When Mina looked at her like she was crazy, she yelled, “Go!”  Hound 4 was on her feet, making sure to set the boy down carefully, and moved rapidly out of sight.     
  
She used all her willpower not to vomit as she scraped the remnants of assailant off of her arm to get to the communicator.  Moving toward the child she reported, “Target Mori Sato has been eliminated.  Nakamura is trailing second perp.  Masaoka probably has a massive concussion.  If you guys could join us, it would be fantastic.”  Inwardly, the redhead decided to lay into her partner for not describing exactly what 'lethal eliminator' mode was.     
  
“Repeat, did you say you've encountered two...”  Gino asked.  He sounded out of breath.   
  
“Yes, neutralized one threat.  Nakamura's after the other, headed back toward the stairwell, I think.”   
  
“Fuck, that means there are three...” she heard faintly in the background from Kougami.     
  
“I'm after a third.  Can you follow Hound 4?”  Her partner sounded stressed.     
  
“Negative.  I have a victim and Masaoka to look after.  She can handle it, Inspector Ginoza!”  Of all the times to doubt Nakamura....   
  
“As soon as you get them stabilized, follow Hound 4, Kamiya! That’s an order!”  At that, communication was cut.  That was a direct order, and she wasn't going to take it lightly, but the victim came first.  Being covered in human detritus was probably not the best way to approach the child, but he would need immediate attention, and she wasn't just going to let him sit there.  So, after a few more swipes to rid herself of the gunk as much as possible, she called in the medical personnel and crouched to the boy’s level.  A quick glance showed that the old man was still breathing and attempting to get up.      
  
She used every technique she knew to try to calm the boy, and was thankful when Masaoka finally made it over and handed her his jacket to cover the child up.     
  
The inspector's focus fell on Masaoka long enough to say, stunned, “You didn't tell me it had a blood piñata setting.”  Pointedly, she gestured to the people remnants all over her person.     
  
The chuckle he gave was full and hearty.  “I figured your partner had covered that.”  He smiled and winced, grabbing at the back of his head.  “You know, there are two of you right now.  Even covered in slime, you’re both terribly stunning.”  Even with a concussion, he was cheeky.     
  
“Tch. Hush, old man,” she smiled. Changing the subject she asked, “Did you tell Nakamura to knock over those boxes?”   
  
“Ha, not exactly— I told her to create a distraction.  She knew that using the dominator would do no good because it would hit one of us… luckily.”      
  
With both adults working to put him at ease, the kid calmed down enough to ask Pops about his metal hand.  It came as no surprise that Masaoka was absolutely great with kids, and soon he was talking to the boy about everything from trains to jets.     
  
The kid's name was Rei and his chubby little hand never left Erra’s.  It was so small, and something about that fact made her want to cry.  He should have never had to go through this.     
  
A beep issued from her wrist, and soon, Gino was speaking.  “Inspector Kamiya, do you have Nakamura?”  She really didn't get his worry.  It couldn't have been more than four minutes since their last communication, and she was about to tell him as much, with sass, but he was yelling again. “Her dominator is locked!”     
  
Kamiya didn't even hear the second part before she was nimbly navigating through the cardboard maze.   “Shit, Ginoza!  You couldn’t have told me that before now?”     
  
  
********  
  
Mina was hiding, like Ginoza had told her—waiting like Kougami had ordered.  It was nerve-wracking to just sit there, listening to the creep tell the kid to sit, tell the kid to shut up, and one time, she heard the distinct sound of a slap.  It just made the poor child cry harder.     
  
It made her angry that they told her to wait for backup.  No one else seemed to get that kind of treatment, and Mina could only assume that they thought she couldn't handle the situation.  As it was, if it became critical, acting would be the only option, forget punishment.  She couldn’t afford to err, but the cries from the captive boy were pitiful and hard to withstand.  She wasn't made of stern enough stuff to listen to those cries.   
  
Hands and feet twitching, needing to move, the woman peeked around the corner.  The guy looked entirely unstable as he paced the floor.  Every ten seconds or so he stopped and touched the kid, muttering something to himself.     
  
If he just stays like this I can wait it out.  I can do this.  Mina told herself these things, but still had trouble keeping still.     
  
_“I don't know if you can, little sister.  You've never been able to watch as someone is being hurt.”_  Kishio, her smart ass of a brother's voice rang true.  Using the communicator crossed her mind, but was immediately shot down.  They would just tell her to wait.      
  
Another glance around the massive stack of boxes made her blanch.  The man was on top of the boy, giggling, and stifling the kid's screams with one hand while the other tore at his clothes.     
  
Nakamura saw red as her chest constricted.  The giggling made her want to shove her fist through the guy’s teeth.  There was no way she could just stand by and watch.  So, stepping from behind her cover, the little brunette drew her dominator and adopted the stance that Kougami had taught her in training.     
  
“Get off of him!  Right now, or I will shoot you.”     
  
The man looked at her.  Then he looked at her dominator, and Mina was tired of waiting, so she applied pressure to the trigger.  “You are an invalid user.  Trigger will remain locked,” SYBIL's voice echoed in her head.  She tried again, and received no results.     
  
The target seemed to realize that something was wrong.  “I guess that thing is nothing but a toy.  I should've known better,” he said, and then he giggled again.  Large hands grabbed at the boy again, this time managing to rip his shirt.  “What's little ol' you gonna do about it?”  The guy spared her a glance and then went back to what he had been doing.     
  
Nakamura was smart enough to realize that there was something terribly wrong with the man's sanity, and she had to stop him.  So, after careful consideration of her options, she chucked the dominator as hard as possible at the giggling bastard's head.  It connected and made him pause his actions.  She had been hoping to knock him out, but it didn't.    
  
 _Well, I guess I'm losing my touch._  As it was, Mina saw the opportunity to attack.   
  
With a shout she barreled toward the man, intent on getting him away from the little boy. The crash into man's body had them rolling well and far away from the poor kid, but now she had to worry about the knife still in the abductor’s hand.  Mina landed on the bottom, and he tried to use his superior strength and force the weapon into her eye.  Using both hands to hold him back, she waited until he seemed to be pushing all his weight toward her and pulled him forward, leading him away.  Her shoulder was nicked, but he was thrown off enough that she could use her hips to roll their positions.  In the process, a fist collided with her face, knocking her off.  She was up in less than a second though.    
  
 _“Never underestimate a live blade,”_ her brother's advice rang through her aching head.   
  
He slashed at her chest, an inaccurate movement that indicated how little he knew about the weapon he was wielding.   Mina dodged his first two attempts to cut her, and then on the third she saw her opportunity and disarmed the man.  Now, it was time to take vengeance.  
  
  
********  
  
Kou finished helping the kids onto stretchers, wishing that he could use lethal eliminator mode on the fucker all over again.  One of the kids was on the brink of death and had been horribly abused.  When he had knelt to assess the child's wounds, his teeth had clenched so hard he thought one of them would crack.  For once, SYBIL had administered correct justice.     
  
The guy had been huge, and unnaturally fast.  Three flights of stairs was how long it took them to catch up, and the bastard had been carrying two kids.  Shinya had paused at the landing, assessing the situation, but Ginoza...usually the cautious one, had actually been the one to sprint forward and kick the guy right in the spine.  The kids flew forward and rolled, and the enforcer had seen his chance.     
  
It took both of them to subdue the guy, and not without their own set of bruises and scrapes.  Ginoza was acting like it was nothing, but Kou knew there was no way his wrist wasn't at least sprained.  It wasn't even that the bastard had been trained.  He had just been really big and really crazy...maybe even a little high on something.   
  
Kougami rose from his crouch, noting the pain in his left foot, and reasoning that he had injured it, again.  It always seemed to be his left one that got hurt.  Approaching Gino, who was looking at his communicator, he noted that his superior seemed more than harried.  “How's the other team doing?”  He asked.   
  
“We need to get to Hound 4.  Her dominator is locked.”     
  
Kou didn't even give the inspector time to explain where Nakamura was.  He had overheard the message from Kamiya, and had a pretty good idea of where to search.  He was taking the stairs two and three at a time, until the pain in his foot dictated less impact.    
  
This was unacceptable.  His mind, as it so often did nowadays, fragmented with worry.  What if he discovered her cut open and bleeding, the way he had found Akane?  Would she blame him for convincing her to join Division One?  Would this finally be what brought his crime coefficient over the line?  How would Gino handle having, yet again, someone else on his team die?  There was no way to avoid thoughts of Kagari.  He severely missed that kid, and he mused, Ginoza probably did, too.  He knew that not even his faithful-to-Sybil inspector believed that the boy had just run away.  
  
He looked down and realized that he could see Mina, the kid, the criminal, and a flash of red hair told him that Erra would reach them before he would.  He kept moving, as fast as possible on his now throbbing foot, whilst watching the scene below.     
  
He saw that she tried to use the dominator, and he also saw that instead of just dropping the weapon she chucked it at the bastard's head.  Kou was sure he would laugh about that later.  
  
Mina was holding her own against the assailant.  The more distance he closed between himself and the action, he realized that she was fending off a knife.  That wasn't what caught his attention though.  What did was the way she was moving and deflecting the blade.  It looked familiar, like Silat.  The more he watched, the more he was sure that was the style of fighting she was using.  It made him think of Sasayama.  The pain of it was still heavy in his chest, even after all this time.  He was almost down the last staircase when he saw her gain control of the weapon, and throw the man to the concrete.   Nakamura didn't stop there, though.  The little brunette brandished the blade in such a way that he was sure she was about kill the guy.   
  
This was not good, and he drew his dominator, hoping that he was in range, dismayed to find that he wasn't.     
  
But Erra was, and soon Mina was slouched over the pedophile.  Apparently, even though she was about to kill the asshole, her crime co-efficient didn't warrant lethal eliminator mode, and for that he was grateful.  Now they had to worry about the creep who was attempting to get up and use Hound 4's body as a shield.     
  
Inspector Kamiya was unable to do anything with Mina blocking the dominator, and as he edged closer he heard her mutter a litany of curses.  She moved slowly forward and to the right, and he realized that the redhead was moving to get to the victim.  At least they could get the boy to safety.   Kou limped his way to circle around, determined to make sure the crazed bastard didn't get away.  
  
Erra who was now standing in front of the kid protectively, and looking completely worse for wear covered in blood and guts, had noticed his arrival and was engaging the kidnapper in conversation.  Shinya took the opportunity, and rushed behind the guy, immobilizing his knife arm and putting him in a choke hold.  He heard Hound 4's body fall, and soon the guy was slumping.  He moved back and gladly fired his dominator, destroying the last of these criminals.  
  
Assured that the threat was neutralized, he went to check Mina's wounds.  Before kneeling, he looked at Erra and thanked her.  She nodded in acceptance of his gratitude.     
  
He couldn't stop himself from asking, “What the hell do you have all over you?”     
  
The pretty redhead threw up her hands in exasperation.  “I don't even want to talk about it, Kougami.  I'm saving that conversation for Inspector Ginoza.”     
  
  
  
**_To Be Continued..._**


	4. Finding Friends?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-authored with jolibrix
> 
> “It won’t happen again, Inspector. I give you my word, and... I am sorry to have left you in the dark, for all it's worth.”  
> -Ginoza
> 
> This chapter begins developing friendship and trust between these new sets of partners and characters, as well as introducing a new male OC named Tetsuo Seki.
> 
> "As he opened the envelope, Shinya Kougami thought of Akane's message and wondered if this exchange between Mina and himself counted toward living the life the dead inspector had charged him with living."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, we absolutely did name our new male character with the intention of paying homage to Kougami's awesome seiyuu. ^__^

  
At first glance, Ginoza had been sure that the bloody gunk on Erra would be what was left of Mina Nakamura, and he filled with guilt.  It wasn't that he knew the girl well or held an attachment for the new Hound 4, but she was a part of Division One and he knew it would be his own fault if she’d been neutralized, latent criminal or not.  Kougami would be a wreck, and that wasn't something Nobuchika wanted to see.  Erra would be upset, and he felt that he would deserve the scolding.  If she had been responsible for killing a member of their own team, her psycho-pass would certainly be clouded, and he wasn't sure he could forgive himself for that.  
  
He hadn't imagined when locking the dominator that Nakamura's crime co-efficient would shoot up past 300, however, so he tried not to jump to the worst conclusion.  Scanning the area, he saw Hound 4 being cared for by one of the medical team’s personnel.  He was a tall, blonde nurse... Seki, he thought was his name.  Clearly the girl would be fine, despite having apparently been paralyzed.    
  
He didn't even have time to finish his thought, because the partner he was so worried about came up to him and wiped guts all over his shirt and neck.  “What the hell, Kamiya?” he shouted as he jumped back in disgust.  
  
“What the hell?  What. The. Hell?  Let's see,” she held up the bottom of her shirt, which was drenched in blood, and a chunk of what might have been brain matter dropped to the floor.  “ _This_ is people goo, Inspector Ginoza.”    
  
“Um.  Yes...” he didn't know what to do.  He felt stunned watching her ire rise, anger radiating from her every pore.  She was moving into his space, and he could smell that yes, it was human guts covering her form.    
  
“Do you want to know what I thought right after I found myself drenched in this…this... mess?”    
  
Ginoza knew that he looked like he was about to tuck tail and run.  She was frightening when she was mad.  A hand encrusted with red flaking blood shot out and grabbed his ear, bringing the man down to her eye level.  He flinched at the pinching, and he noted a particularly fatty looking piece in her braid.    
  
“I thought, 'How nice of my partner to warn me that the dominator has a _human blood piñata setting_!'”  Those teal eyes were impossibly close and soon her nose was touching his.  “You have to ride in the car with me all the way back to the CID, Ginoza, and I plan on making sure you get the full experience of what it is like to be trapped with this smell.  The windows will be up, and you will keep your mouth shut.”  
  
She let him stand up straight, and all he could think was that he would do whatever the hell she wanted as long as she stopped shouting at him and making him feel like a petulant child.  He would do anything to make this better.  “I'm sorry.”    
  
“’Sorry’ doesn't cut it.  You owe me for this.  You owe me _big_.”  She suddenly turned away from him.  “Kougami, I would stop laughing if I were you, or I'll make you ride in the car with me, too.  You could've warned me just as well as Inspector Ginoza.”    
  
Kou’s face fell and Kamiya turned back to Ginoza, speaking so that only he could hear.  Teeth gritted, looking beyond furious, she muttered, “And if you _think_ I don’t have more to say about the bullshit you pulled out there today…”  She didn’t bother to finish and scrunched her nose as she frowned at him.  At a normal volume, his partner added, “I’ll see you in the car.”  
  
Kougami was very obviously straining to keep his face neutral, and as soon as she stomped off, presumably to ask the blonde nurse caring for Mina for an update on her condition, Kou laughed so hard his eyes started watering.    
  
“Hound 3, this isn't funny.”  It wasn't at all as far as Nobuchika was concerned, but something about seeing Kou laugh like that made him smirk.  When was the last time the enforcer had guffawed like that?  He couldn't recall.    
  
“Oh, but it is,” he stopped because he had to catch his breath.  “I mean... she... she called it a damn blood piñata, and you...Gino, you are screwed.  You know that, right?  You should have seen your face.”    
  
“Shut up, Kou,” he deadpanned and walked after his partner, who was headed toward the car.  The ride home was going to be tense.    
  
Once he made sure that the paddy wagon was off with his enforcers that didn't need to be carried out by stretcher, he made his way to the vehicle.  Taking a deep breath he entered the car, and true to her word, she had been sitting there with the windows up.  He had to admit, the smell was wretched.    
  
“I'm going to talk, Inspector Ginoza, and _you_ are going to listen.  Do we have an understanding?”  He looked over and saw that she was glaring at him.  Her voice was low and dangerous, daring him to contradict her.  
  
“Yes,” he said sheepishly.  There was no doubt that he was about to get an earful.    
  
“Never pull a stunt like that again.  I understand that you don't trust Mina yet, and I also understand that in some twisted way, you thought you were doing the right thing.”  Her tone was cold and demanding.  “I am your partner, so start acting like it.  You _will_ keep me in the loop about decisions of that nature.  I can only surmise that you don't trust me yet, either.”  
  
“No.  No, that's not it.  I just...” he tried to explain.    
  
“So, you did it because you knew I would veto the idea.  Is that it?  Better to ask forgiveness than permission?”    
  
Ginoza felt a lump form in his throat, because he deserved every bit of her rage, and yes, he hadn't told her because she would have told him not to lock the dominator.  It pained him to have her truly angry at him for the first time.  He had always had the unintentional gift of pissing people off and the fact that his most recent partner treated him with such patience felt like an accomplishment in some ways.  That was gone now.  She was furious, and rightfully so; he felt massive guilt over his actions.  “I just needed to make sure she was ready, and...”  
  
Erra cut him off again.  “Never again, Ginoza.  Mina could have died out there, and only because she was trying to do the right thing, and I almost...”    
  
He didn't hear the rest of her sentence, because he saw a foothold for him in this argument.  “So, you think her stabbing him was the right thing to do, because I was under the impression that you believed that Sybil was responsible for making those decisions.”  Immediately, he regretted his words.  Gino understood that he was being argumentative to cover his shame, and he didn’t even believe 100% in his justice system after everything he’d seen.    
  
“Don’t you dare!  What I think is that an enforcer under our command was put in a position where her dominator didn't work, and she couldn't just stand by and watch while a creep hurt a little kid.  That was on _you_ , Ginoza.  She saw what she considered a major threat coming at her.  We were actually lucky that somewhere, somehow, she has had martial arts training.  No, I don’t think that puts her in the wrong.  Sometimes, we have to know when to act swiftly.  What if I would have had to use lethal eliminator mode on her?  Do you think that would have been fair to her—sending her out to be slaughtered?  What about to me?  How do you think _I_ would have handled killing my own enforcer for doing something I might have done?”  She took a slow breath in and looked away from him, out the window, before saying, “I want you to agree that nothing like this will ever happen again, and that despite your personal feelings, you will treat Nakamura as a part of this team.”    
  
“It won’t happen again, Inspector.  I give you my word, and... I am sorry to have left you in the dark, for all it's worth.”    
  
“Tch!” she clicked loudly at his useless words.  “And roll the damn windows down, for shit’s sake!”  
  
“But you said…” he began, already obeying her demand.  
  
“I know what I said, but now I think I’m going to vomit.”  She did.  Profusely...and who would blame her?  Thankful that it was at least out the window, he pulled out his pocket square and she used it to clean her face.  Ginoza rode the rest of the way back to the CID in silence, thinking of ways to make it up to his more than patient partner.    
  
  
********  
  
When Mina had woken up in the infirmary, she had assumed she was back in rehab and panicked.  Panicked might have been too small a word for her reaction, because when the man in green scrubs walked in, the little brunette tackled him to the floor, demanding to know where she was.    
  
She was lucky, because the handsome man she mauled, with the wavy, platinum blonde hair, had a sense of humor.  Bright amber eyes looked up, as he smiled, saying, “Well, you recovered quickly, small fry. You are in the infirmary, for the record.”      
  
“The infirmary?”   It took a second, but she remembered.  She had been shot with the dominator.  “I'm in the CID.  Fuck.  I am so sorry, sir.”    
  
“It's okay.  You sure move pretty fast for someone just coming out of being shot in paralyzer mode.”  He made eye contact with her then.  “How are you feeling?”    
  
  
“I... confused,” she said, honestly.  The adrenaline rush had left her feeling addled.  “And my shoulder hurts,” she added.  “Who are you again?”    
  
“Doc..,“ he shook his head and continued, “I'm the head nurse here.  My name is Tetsuo Seki, and as much as I can say I don’t hate the position you have me in, I think I need to look you over.  Unfortunately, I can't do that from the floor.  Can I get up now?”  The smile he flashed her was nothing short of adorable.  
  
She only felt mildly embarrassed about forgetting that she was straddling him, holding down his shoulders.  It was his attitude about it, she supposed, that made it seem less humiliating.  “Sorry.  I guess I'm still kind of out of it,” she apologized as she moved off of him.  An attempt to stand had her falling to the floor.  The paralyzer mode was no joke.  
  
“Let me help.”   He knelt and wrapped his arm around her waist, leading her to the bed.      
  
Right as she was sitting, a doctor entered the room, didn't even introduce himself, and started talking about giving her something for her anxiety.  She just shook her head, disliking the idea of taking medication.  Rehab had scarred her, it seemed.  He moved closer, instructing her to rotate her shoulder, and her focus fell on a series of syringes sticking out of his pocket.  Two were colored, one green, one blue.  She couldn't stop focusing on them, and when the man made a move to physically touch her, she had recoiled.  “Ms. Nakamura, I need to finish my exam,” he said, annoyed.  Her breathing, despite her efforts to control it, sped up, and she had no clue as to why.  
  
“Hey, doc.  I got this.  I think she's still addled from just waking up.  Go ahead and get to your other patients.”  Out of the corner of her eye she saw the blonde clap the other man on the shoulder and give him a winning smile.    
  
“Fine.  Fill this out, and bring it to me to sign later,” he said, and then left.    
  
Seki regarded her for a moment as her breathing slowed.  “He made you a bit nervous, didn't he?  No bedside manner at all, that man.  Is it okay that I finish the exam?  Does me touching you bother you?”    
  
“I think I'll be okay.  Sorry, I don't know why I reacted like that.”  The nurse had managed to calm her completely.  Why had she reacted that way to the doctor?  Maybe she really was still anxious from waking up so suddenly.    
  
“I'm going to have to move your gown to look at your shoulder.  Okay?”    
  
She nodded her assent and shivered as her skin was exposed.  It always seemed that the CID was too cold.  “So, I think I may have offended your Inspector Kamiya,” he mentioned as he gently prodded at her stitches.  His touch was gentle, hands warm.    
  
“How did you do that?”    
  
“I think I made an inappropriate comment about how she was covered in people goo.  Do you mind telling her I apologize?  I forget that my sense of humor is a bit…macabre.”    
  
Again she nodded agreement as he assisted her going through her range of motion exercises.  She wondered at what he could have possibly said to Kamiya.  But she was more interested in why the redhead was in such a state.  “Why?  Why was she covered in people... goo?”  
  
“Lethal eliminator mode on the dominator basically makes people explode.  She called it a blood piñata, but I prefer to call it people-fetti... you know, like confetti.  I think blood piñata makes it seem like it doesn't have the chunky bits, but people-fetti gets the point right across.  She was standing too close when she used hers, it seems.”    
  
“What?  ‘Blood piñata’ is the perfect choice.  The chunky bits are the treats inside!”  A smile formed on her lips, and he laughed heartily in return, making brief eye contact.    
  
“Wow,” he said through his laughter.  “Wow!  That is _really_ disgusting.  I kind of can’t believe you said that.”  
  
Mina found the kind man’s laugh contagious and she giggled back.  Tetsuo pulled on the two thin, white sticks that were hanging out of his shirt pocket and Nakamura learned that they were lollipops.  He offered her one and she declined.  
  
“Suit yourself,” he added.  “I’ve become fairly addicted to them over the years.  Yellows are my favorites.”  He chuckled at the strange look his patient was giving him as he pulled off the plastic and popped it into his mouth. “Okay.  So, you need to come back for a checkup in a week.  Make sure to ask for me, small fry, and...”  
  
“Don't call me, small fry.  I'm not small.  You are just really, disturbingly tall,” Mina cut him off.  He probably came close to having a whole foot on her.    
  
“Oh, now c'mon.  Disturbingly?”  She blushed at her rude word choice, but his grin assured her that it didn’t bother him in the slightest.  “Anyway, ask for me, that way you don't wind up with Dr. Grumps.  Someone will come to discharge you shortly.  It was nice to meet you, Ms. Mina Nakamura.”    
  
“It was a pleasure meeting you, as well, Mr. Seki,” she said, and she meant it.  
  
“Tetsuo, please,” he added after grimacing at her use of ‘Mr. Seki.’  She grinned back and nodded.  
  
Before he made it out the door he turned and pulled a book out of his scrub pocket.  Giving her a quick smile around his candy, he said, “Oh.  Mr. Kougami told me to give this to you.  He says he'd like your opinion on it when you’re done.”    
  
It was a copy of George Orwell's _1984_.  
  
  
********  
  
Kougami fingered the seal on the little envelope Mina had left in the back of _One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest_.  The little note she had left in the beginning bid him not to open this one until he was finished with the tome.    
  
This had become a thing between the two of them.    
  
It had started with him leaving her a copy of _1984_ during her recovery after the pedophile case.  She had returned the book, and at first, he had missed the little piece of pink paper sticking out of the top.  It wasn't until he was about to replace it back on the bookshelf that he found it, and discovered that Mina Nakamura was quite opinionated.          
  
Her note had read, 

> __  
> Kou,  
>  I wish I could say I enjoyed reading this, but that would be a lie.   I refrain from saying that I enjoy things that make me cry and throw things at my wall.   With that being said, I want you to know that I am glad that I read it.      
>  Do you find a remarkable resemblance between SYBIL and Big Brother?  Because I do.  With synaptic scanners everywhere, we have our own version of the very same 'thought police' created by Mr. Orwell.    Does the label of 'latent criminal' not imply that very same notion?  I have committed no crime, but according to a computer, I have a potential to do so, therefore, I am locked away and treated as though I have already done something felonious.  This logic is prevalent through society and the book.  
>  As I followed the characters' journey, I found myself rooting for their survival, and their victory.  Of course, as you already know, that is not how the story ends.  It makes me wonder how MY story will end.  
>  I will admit that I bawled my eyes out while reading of Winston's experiences in the Ministry of Love (how inaccurately named).  Maybe there is always something that breaks us, but the romantic in me wishes that that were not the case.   2+2 must never equal 5.      
>  I suppose that this book frightened me.  
>  And now, I will stop this rant, for fear that you will never let me borrow another of your books.
> 
> Thank you, Kougami,
> 
> Mina

  
  
Her handwriting was absolutely the most atrocious he had ever seen, but he had responded by leaving a note in the next book he left out for her.  
  


> _Mina,_  
>  Your handwriting is awful, but your points are more than valid.  More than ever, now, I find myself comparing Sybil, a computer that is meant to be impartial, to Orwell's Big Brother.  I worry that there is relevance to the concept of psycho passes and crime coefficients.  There are times when I worry that Sybil was correct in labeling me a latent, and does that mean that how SYBIL operates is correct?  
>  Of course, I have yet to actually commit a crime.  I wish that I had faith like yours in my lack of criminal ability.    
>  I might argue, though, that at the very least, Sybil does take better care of its citizens.  The people of Orwell's 1984 world are kept in a constant state of poverty and ignorance.  They live in fear, are unhealthy, and the system works towards its own expansion.  Sybil has yet to declare war, and according to theory, was designed to work towards the greater good.  Supposedly, it is entirely impartial, working for the populace.  
>  But, in truth, I am not sure that I believe that.  I am playing devil's advocate as a remembrance to a friend who at one point truly believed in Sybil's infallibility.  
>  What affected me was the absolute control of everything Orwell spelled out.  The concept of history, even down to newspapers, being rewritten was overwhelmingly angering. If one could not gather information and trust its correctness, how could one independently learn?  Of course, the novel succeeded in nudging me to question the world around me.  Some argue that that is why my Psycho Pass is high.  I need to learn to accept things, and then it will descend?  But is that in affect making 2+2=5?    
>  Your reaction is certainly understandable.  
>  I digress, and you are welcome to borrow my books, even though, I have noticed that you have no problem taking them off of my desk.  I will leave them there for you, and send others to your e-reader.  
> 
> Kou 

  
   
One time, he had been flabbergasted when he received a book by Hemingway back within an hour.  Attached was a post-it stating that she didn't like Hemingway, and that nothing he said or did would change her mind.  When he asked why, the letter in return touted that Mina hated his writing style and found the man pompous.    
  
So, they traded books, sometimes through e-reader, but preferably on real paper.  Their letters were rife with ideas and questions, and at times he wondered why they never sat down and talked about them.  Shinya could only figure that she was still a little skittish around him.  There were days when they worked together wonderfully, and then there were days when she retracted into herself, refusing to even talk.  
  
In those moments, when Mina would curl into herself and essentially, run away, he missed Akane and her open honesty.  There was never a moment where she felt shame or denied any part of herself, even in the face of Saiga telling her things she probably had not even actualized about her psyche.  Nakamura was different, which was refreshing and frustrating all at once.  He would love to get her into a room with Saiga, if only to see if his former teacher had the same trouble that he was having with reading her.    
  
As he opened the envelope, Shinya Kougami thought of Akane's message and wondered if this exchange between Mina and himself counted toward living the life the dead inspector had charged him with living.  
  
  
**_To Be Continued..._**


	5. How to Deal With Tension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-Authored with jolibrix
> 
> Ginoza has been without someone for much, much too long  
> and   
> Kougami hasn't had the chance to spar with a real human in ages.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorrynotsorry that Ginoza couldn't control himself.

“I forgot to grab a towel,” Erra called from inside the shower.  “Can you bring one to me?”

She had barely finished that sentence when Ginoza stepped into his shower right behind his partner.  “I’ll have to get one after,” he breathed against her neck. 

Everything was warm and wet, and his hands slipped easily around to the flesh of her stomach, gently pushing her against his growing erection.  She hummed softly and aided him by leaning into the shower tile in front of her, angling her hips and ass higher.

“That feels nice, Gino,” Erra said to him as he littered her shoulders and neck with kisses, sweeping the long red hair over her shoulder and out of his way.  He couldn’t find words to respond.  He only wanted to enjoy this moment before it was gone.  Her hand came back and gripped at his hip, pulling him against her more.

“Please, Gino,” she begged.  She needed him.  It was too good to be true.

The alarm interrupted the dream, eliciting curses and a shout to turn the damned thing off.  Everything felt tight and coiled, almost to the point of pain.  He was sweating and didn't have to look down to know he had an actual erection.  This had not happened to him since being a teenager.  It was embarrassing that he was so damned hard he could feel it throb in time with his rapid heartbeat.     

He laid there a few more minutes, waiting for the torrent of hormones and sexual thoughts to diminish, but found that it just seemed to get worse.  The dream had been realistic, down to the smell of her, that faint comforting scent of chamomile and vanilla.  Moving the sheet down unintentionally rubbed the soft material of his underwear against his cock.  Even that slight bit of friction made him grunt with the sensation.  Frustrated movements removed his briefs leaving him nude yet still overheated.   

He shouldn’t do this.  Erra Kamiya was brilliant, strong, confident…she held her own matched against any criminal, enforcer, or inspector.  Erra Kamiya was his co-worker…and everything Ginoza wanted. 

The image of his partner, wet and waiting, made Gino give up on restraint.  There was no waiting this out.  Fingers surrounded his length, thumb passing over the sensitive head, finding himself already slicked with pre-cum.  He tried to conjure the image of _her_ hands performing this activity, but instead started replaying through his dream. 

Typically, this type of activity was a silent affair, something that evoked a few harsh breaths and maybe a groan at the end, nothing more.  But this time was different, and maybe it was because he had such a detailed fantasy to fuel the movements of his hand.  His quiet pants turned to groans, hips thrusting, pushing his member through his grip, imagining it was Kamiya's wet core.   

He recalled the simplest things from the dream…the warmth as they crowded so closely together, the view of her hands curling against the tile of the shower.  He could even remember the dark shade of pink those nails were painted.     

The sound of wet flesh pounding together pulled a groan from his throat as he buried his face in his pillow.  The sound echoing in his head of her whimpering out to him for more made his mind grow fuzzy.  He rubbed himself faster, so saturated with pre-cum now that wet sounds were reaching his ears— pale comparison to the ones in his dream.   

The way she moaned… he was the one moaning now, lewd and guttural sounds.   

The feel of her breasts in his hand and on his tongue, and damn it, she had clutched at him, mouth hung open in an “oh” of ecstasy.    

She had called his name.  “Gi...Gino!” 

And that was what did him in.  The muscles of his stomach contracted, a heat flew from the base of his spine outward causing everything it touched to clench and then relax, over and over again as the warmth of his cum spattered his stomach, chest, and hand.  Ginoza had not cum so hard in ages.  He felt tears leave the corner of his eyes.  It felt so damned good, but now he was faced with the emptiness of his apartment. 

He felt ashamed as he heard Dime whine from his kennel.  Standing and jerking the bedding from the mattress, he balled it up and tossed it into the laundry.  Stepping in the shower only added to that shame and he leaned his forehead against the tile, squeezing his eyes shut it frustration.

How was he supposed to face her at work after this?  He had already begun formulating a plan to avoid her for the day…just for today.  Ginoza would have to get these emotions under control but had no clue how to stop his subconscious from dreaming about her.   

 

********

Mina liked the gym provided by the CID.  At first, she had hated it.  Her presence drew unwanted attention, but there was no way she was going out on another case without properly training beforehand.  Soon, her presence and her weird workout routine was accepted and then ignored.   

Today, she was circle walking.   She found that Bagua was a good way to get her muscles and tendons stretched, and above all, it had a tendency to get her focused, which was something she definitely needed.  As she moved through the second of the eight palm changes, she became aware of a figure coming toward her.  Doing her best to ignore the person, she continued, pressing herself to the limit and holding every complicated section of movement until her limbs were shaking. 

In her head, her brother admonished the little brunette, _“Your feet look like crap_.”  She winced at the memory and corrected her stance.   

She supposed that another reason practicing her martial arts brought her such peace was that it was a way to remember her brother.  With every move, she felt his presence and heard his voice.  Nakamura wished more than ever that he was there with her, helping her understand the mess she had managed to get herself into.  Loneliness and fright fueled her need for a familiar friendly face.  She would have given a limb to even just have a fight with him again. 

 _“Don't bend your elbow little sister,”_ Kishio reminded her as she stretched her right arm out, feeling the burn in her back.  “ _Remember that the point of this isn't to be smooth, you little terror.   It is supposed to look raw and rough because you are constantly pushing your limits.”_ She could practically feel his hand push on hers, making sure her structure was correct.   

With the change finished, she stepped out to continue walking her circle only to find herself looking right into the bare chest of Shinya Kougami.  It was bothersome that she had not heard him come so close.  It was also bothersome that her eyes were having trouble moving away from his muscle definition.  Why did he have to stand there in nothing but loose cotton pants?  It was ludicrous how well built he was.   

“What are you doing?”  He asked, sounding genuinely curious, eyeing her form.  He actually bent down slightly and studied her feet.     

A part of her didn't want to answer.  It just wanted to stalk off and ignore the handsome man.  Fighting the knee jerk reaction, realizing that he was just being friendly, she answered simply with “Bagua.”   

Those gray eyes narrowed for a moment.  “I've never heard of that.  Is it like Tai Chi?”   

“I suppose.  It does have elements of Tai Chi.  It’s one of the main Wudang styles.  I like how it focuses on internal power.  I am by no means good at it, but it will be something I can keep with me for the rest of my life,” she blushed, realizing that her plan to be taciturn was failing.  He was making her nervous and chatty.  He had that effect on her and she hated it.  That was why she much preferred communicating with him through writing.  So, closing her mouth, Mina moved out of her position and waited for him to move out of her way.   

Instead of moving, he made that same uncanny eye contact that had sealed the deal for her in rehab. 

 _How the hell does he keep me locked in like that?  You need to stay away from him.  You know he's bad news, just like the others._ Her inner voice was quite stern, but it did no good.   

“You wanna spar?” he asked, smirking. 

So that was what this was all about.  He was seeing how much merit she had, and planning on having a bit of fun at her expense.  Men did this, she found, when they wanted to feel better about themselves.  Time with her brother and his friends made her quite familiar with the phenomenon.  The cocky half-smile was telling her that he assumed she wasn't going to be much of a challenge.  Well, he had another thing coming. 

“I'd love to.  Let me finish warming up.  You should do the same.”  Mina supplied him with her own smirk, and walked away to finish stretching.   

She watched as he “warmed up” and realized quickly that he was showing off.  This too, she had seen before.  It was an intimidation tactic, and if she had been a lesser woman, it probably would have worked.  Stretching her legs, she formed a strategy and watched.  In a way, she had the upper hand because he had already underestimated her.   

Finished, the little brunette padded over to watch him, keeping her stare as bland as possible, making sure he received no signal that she was impressed.  More people walked into the room, but steered clear of their area.  She wondered if it had something to do with the intimidating man. 

Mina had heard plenty about him while eavesdropping.  The women thought he was sexy, and so did some of the men.  Both parties found him hard to approach, but a few times a person would bring up a time he actually turned out to be quite nice.  Some that knew him when he was younger often talked about how personable he once was.  They had also mentioned that he was brilliantly intelligent and great at what he did.   

 _“Who cares, Mina?  You need to show him your grit.  Teach him not to underestimate a Nakamura.”_ Her brother piped in.   

With a final acrobatic kick, he straightened and rolled his shoulders.  “You ready?” he asked, eyeing her, with what she could only assume was amusement.   

“Yeah, as long as you are sure not to take it easy on me.  That wouldn't be fair.”  If he turned out to be one of _those_ guys, she was going to be sorely disappointed.    

“Don't worry about that, Nakamura.  I wouldn't dream of it.”   

They took to separate sides of the matted area and the woman moved to the center circle and side-eyed Kougami, feeling anger surface.  Mina understood why he made her so irate.   He was sexy, smart, capable, bold, and he didn't have to try at any of it.  It seemed to Mina that he was the exact opposite of her, and it made her mad that she was attracted to him.  She wanted nothing to do with that attraction, having firsthand knowledge of what men such as Kougami were like.    

A yell heralded the beginning of their match. 

As they circled each other, eyeing the other's footwork, Mina heard Kishio's voice once again.  “ _You are gonna have to make your move really quick.  He is bigger than you.  Make it count.  Often, it's the colder, meaner person who wins a fight.  You know you aren't cold enough.  This isn’t a dance class.  This is real life.  Be mean, little terror.”_  

Something he did made her think that he must have trained in Silat, at least a little.  The more he moved, the more she was sure of it.  _Fuck, Silat was my trump card.  This has just become a hell of a lot more interesting._

His footwork was phenomenal, and every slight adjustment he made in response to hers was indicative of a lot of training.  

 _Okay, so I'm going to have to surprise him._ With an explosive sprint, she launched herself at him, flying towards his sternum with her knee.   

 

******** 

Kougami had watched Mina for quite some time as she walked in a circle, contorting her body in odd ways.  It had been annoying, not being able to pinpoint exactly what she was doing.  It was odd, to say the least.   

It was also annoying that he had not recognized the name of the art.  It was something that he may have read about at one point, but he couldn’t quite recall.  Whatever it was, she seemed to be in the early stages of learning it.  There was nothing smooth in the short woman's movements.  Everything was shaky and rough.   

What he was really curious about was the Silat.  There was no way she hadn't at least dabbled in it, judging by how she had handled her foe in their most recent case.  He wanted to see that in action. 

It was hard to figure her out.  Outside of their written letters which dealt only with the topic of whatever book they were discussing, she didn’t talk much.  He couldn't even get a good read on her frame.  Her clothes were perpetually baggy to the point of ridiculousness.  Even there, in the gym, she was wearing loose jogging pants and a shirt that would have been a little big on _him._ He remembered asking Gino at the rehab facility where her personal effects were and finding out she had none.  The orderly that was waiting with them had said that she didn't even have her own clothes and holographic mods were not made available to people in rehab.  The facility let her raid the lost and found bin.  Maybe there had been nothing in her size.   

Not able to get the clear picture he wanted, he had decided to spar with her.  Then, at least, he could get a read on her fighting style.  He was positive that he would win, because she didn't seem _well_ trained, and he certainly had the advantage on size.  Also, it was irking him that she had absolutely no fear at all about fighting against him.  He felt she should at least be intimidated a little and the fact that she wasn’t had him completely fascinated. 

 It would be the first time he had sparred with a real person in ages, and he was a little bit excited, even if it would end quickly.  He had learned the Silat style of martial arts from his old enforcer Sasayama, and he had never had the chance to spar with anyone else that actually knew anything about his preferred method of fighting.  He thought, if nothing else, this should be fun.

And then, she was flying at him, kneeing him in the sternum, growling, and knocking him off balance.  When he hit the ground, she attempted to take to the side, kept her knee on his throat, trying to manipulate his arm into a joint lock. 

Chest still hurting, before she could get positioned, he managed to get free.  She rolled away from the try he made at getting into an advantageous position for grappling.  They were on their feet again in no time. 

From then on, Shinya was more careful.  A test punch towards her was easily deflected.  In fact, she moved into it managing to knock into his knuckles with a very precise elbow strike.  It didn't hurt, but it let him know that she knew how to throw an elbow.  A quick sidestep afforded her position to arm bar him, but he managed to turn out of it--just barely.   

He threw a kick and almost got punched right in the groin.  The move she used was not from Silat.  _So that other art did give her some new moves._

With a sense of accomplishment and fairly good hold on one of her arms, he finally connected with a knee to her side.  She buckled a little, and instinctively tried to get out of the grasp he had.  He pulled to keep her close, and she followed adding her own momentum to it.  She head butted him in the mouth.  His chin was going to be bruised, nothing more, but the action was shocking. 

 _Where the hell did she learn to do all this?_    

He was getting riled up, and he didn't know why.  Endorphins always ran high when he fought, but this was different and he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was he was feeling. Typically, Kougami was able to keep calm, and it worked to his advantage.  The only thing he knew to do was be angry at Akane for awakening something in him.  All these emotional changes had happened because of her and the loss of his obsessive focus on ending Sasayama’s murderer, and they were a hassle.   

They continued their small tussles, testing, and waiting.  Neither was willing to back down and Kou could tell by the look in her crystal eyes that she was as determined to win as he, no matter how tired they became.  

Finally, he succeeded in getting his first good hold.  It was proving to be hard to throw her.  She was too well grounded and aware of his tricks, so he tried a different tactic.  He gripped, the woman struggled, and in a show of strength and ability he threw her, not down into the ground like she was expecting, but pretty far into a matted corner.  It was still a part of the matted area, so still fair game in his eyes. He was a little startled at how easily he had flung her small body and thought maybe they should quit, but Mina recovered remarkably quickly and came charging at him.     

His arms were out to grab at her, and she made as if to move under them, but he was ready for that, and with a small adjustment his fingers made purchase on her shirt.  The man wasn't about to ignore the opportunity and twisted the shirt into his palm, pulling her close, preparing to knock her off balance.  Predictably, she pulled back, leaving Kou looking for a way to wrap the cloth around something to restrain her.  This was how he was going to win.   

The newest enforcer did something he would have never expected, at least not out of her in particular.  Mina Nakamura had shown on many occasions that she was very uncomfortable with anyone seeing any of her body.  So, it was shocking when she merely pulled out of the shirt, leaving her in nothing but a bra.  Shinya couldn’t help but stare for a moment, shirt in hand, looking at what she had been hiding. 

He could hear people on the sidelines.  They had attracted quite a crowd, and now some of the men were whistling.  He thought he heard Inspector Kamiya’s voice calling for them to shut up. 

What Mina had been trying to hide was that she was busty... very busty.  Quickly, he surveyed the attractive body before him.  Besides her figure, she had tattoos.  Three were visible, and all caught his eye.  On her shoulder, in black ink, was a series of numbers and letters.  There was something small running along her right rib cage, but he couldn’t see what.  Another started at the left side of her navel and wrapped around and down to her hip and back.  It looked intricate, but he didn't have time to make it out, because she sprinted forward and threw him, hard.  Then, it was all a blur.   

At some point, he split her lip, and at another, she hit him hard enough in the ribs to bruise.  He had great grappling capabilities, but she was hard to hold onto, and reason that he found terribly annoying, he was distracted.  A punch grazed her cheek and she lost her position.  He made to grab for her, and her clothes proved to be an issue, again.  The hold he had was on her pants, not her and they slipped down past her hips a bit.  He was looking at the top of lacy red underwear.  Distracted again, she turned and kicked him in the shoulder.    

That was when things got rough.  He wasn't holding back, and he wanted her pinned.  Now.

 

******** 

Erra had made her way to the gym with the hope that Inspector Ginoza would be there as well.  He usually was.  She thought for a moment that she should promote the whole division working out once or twice a week as a team.  They seemed to mostly be there together naturally, since they had the same downtime.  It would be good for all of their hues if she could manage to get the whole team spending time together on their own.  She hadn't really seen him much that day, but he rarely missed a work out.

Ginoza was admittedly the member of the team she was closest to given the nature of their jobs, and she enjoyed having him near.  It was selfish, really, because it wasn't just that his company was comfortable, it was also that the tall, stern man with the jet black hair was someone she considered very good-looking. 

If she were being honest with herself, so were many of the other men that made their way to workout at the same time as she did.  The woman smiled at herself, remembering the flirty comment she had made to Enforcer Kougami just last week, because honestly, someone needed to say something to him.  He was ridiculous the way he strutted about owning the place, and she was pretty sure he was aware of exactly how he affected people.  The enforcer had not even blinked before retorting smoothly.  That man was typically calm and cool waters.  Exactly the type of playful banter she enjoyed. 

It wasn't like flirting with Ginoza, who would blush quite a handsome shade of pink and get frustrated, calling her troublesome or just clicking his tongue.  She had never enjoyed that response before.  In fact, if she suspected it would make someone uncomfortable to be flirty, she would completely shy away from it.  In her partner’s case, however, she could sometimes feel the way his eyes followed her.  The way he vehemently denied it was amusing.  She couldn’t seem to get enough of his annoyed reaction.  He was overly nervous and uncomfortable admitting the truth that he watched her, but he had never actually gotten angry with her.

Often the two of them would stay late finishing paperwork, after which Ginoza would escort Kamiya to her car.  He had let slip on more than one occasion that he enjoyed her company, although the therapist wasn’t even sure if he was aware of it.  Their conversations had let her in on the fact that he had a dog called Dime and that he enjoyed coin collecting, which she had no intention of letting him live down.  It wasn’t much personal information, but considering the man it had come from, it almost felt like some unearthed treasure.  It was very nice for her to have developed a friend to talk to for the first time in years.

Today though, things had turned out differently.  Instead of having the opportunity to spend time with the inspector and secretly appreciate the way his sweat-soaked cotton shirt clung to lithe muscles, she found herself to be part of an audience.  There _was_ a nice view of Masaoka fresh from his work out to her right, but her eyes were mainly trained on Nakamura and Kougami who appeared to be sparring quite intensely. 

Suddenly, the woman pulled out of the grip Kougami had on her oversized shirt, leaving her in only a sports bra.  The response from the peanut gallery was loud.  As the little brunette was walking to the edge of the mats, Erra noticed the slight tremble in the woman's hands as men catcalled her.  Some attempted flattery and some went for cruel, but both made the inspector see red.  Clearly, it was affecting her enforcer.  It took effort at times for Kamiya to remember that not everyone was as comfortable fielding such behavior.  A couple of the men made very lewd comments and Masaoka flinched.

Before he had a chance to respond to the nasty words, Erra shouted firmly, “Keep it in your pants!  Or you can come back to spar another time. 

Most of them shut up immediately, but she noticed that one man in particular seemed to be shooting her a rather disgusting glare.  Kamiya recognized he was a new enforcer on Division Three and stared him down until he turned away.  Furrowing her brows for a moment at the back of his head, she turned back to the match. 

The two on the mats were getting out of control, in her opinion.  Punches seemed to be landing much harder than a sparring match called for.  Masaoka nudged her shoulder with his mechanical one and gestured with his head to their teammates. 

“What do you think, Inspector?” he asked. 

“Looks a little rough, if you ask me.  Shouldn’t somebody stop them?” 

“Nah! They’re just getting out some aggression.  It’s good for them…especially Miss Trouble out there,” he replied. 

“You and your nicknames, Pops,” she mused.  The man seemed to give them to everyone, even occasionally calling Ginoza by his first name—a feat no one else seemed able to accomplish.  Even she had been given a moniker. 

“What about it, Sass?” he grinned, using the one she’d earned from him. 

She smiled right back, but then looked back to the mats. “If it gets any rougher than this, I’m going to have to put a stop to it.  I can’t have them busting each other in the heads.” 

“I don’t think we have to worry about Kou going that--,” but his words stopped as, with a very loud growl, Kougami maneuvered himself out of his opponent's hold.  With a show of shear power, he hefted the woman in the air and slammed her to the mats.  He had leaned over her.  Their noses were touching, and both sets of lips were pulled back into feral teeth clenching grimaces.  The audience went quiet except for a few “oh shits” and a chorus of “damn.”   

Mina managed to slam an elbow to the side of Kougami's mouth and then press the heel of her palm to the underside of his nose.  His hands struggled to keep hold of Nakamura's arms, and his body though bigger, was having trouble keeping her from damned near switching their positions.   An elbow caught the side of the little brunette’s eyebrow.  Skin broke and blood flowed.  It was a head wound, so the red was staining everywhere within a matter of seconds.   

Erra yelled, “Stop!” but the two either ignored it, or were too engrossed in the struggle.  Another yell yielded no response.  The redhead stomped onto the mats with Masaoka following.  “Help me pull them apart,” she commanded everyone within earshot.  Three men immediately went to pull Kougami off of the woman, but Pops held up his hand for them to stop and handled it himself.  Two men were attempting to keep a very enraged Nakamura from lunging back at her opponent. 

“Stop!  Calm down!”  The two still pulled against their restrainers.  “That’s enough!” she bellowed and it finally did the trick.  

Nakamura and Kougami were taking heavy, shaky breaths as Erra ordered, “Both of you!  To my office!  Now!”  Masaoka handed Mina a cloth to staunch the blood and wipe her face, then began escorting them.  The inspector added to the audience, “The rest of you, you know the drill!  Get to your workout or get to the showers.”  

Kamiya practically stormed to her office, shut the door, and sat in her chair.  “Tell me right now why I shouldn’t hand the two of you over to Inspector Ginoza and let him sort this out.  I have a feeling we all know exactly how that would go, and I can’t say I entirely disagree with it.  This is something that needs to be addressed and it needs to be done now.  Kougami, do you take issue with Ms. Nakamura?” 

“Not particularly,” he said putting a cigarette to his lips.  How the hell had he managed to grab his cigarettes before being escorted out? 

Erra grabbed it from his hands, and snapped, “Do _not_ smoke in here!” 

He sat back in his chair, and wiped his lip with the back of his hand, only sparing a glance at the thin line of red still found there.  “I have no issue with Mina,” he said, looking at the girl.  Erra noted that a nasty bruise was forming on his chin.     

“Are you second guessing your decision that she was the new enforcer we needed on Division One?  Do we need to discuss other options?  Is that what this is about?”  The inspector felt a headache coming on.  She wondered if Kougami had always been this difficult to reign in, because despite the fact that he was answering all of her questions, he was coming off as a smart ass. 

“What?  No!  No. It’s nothing like that.  I just got a little too fired up.  I—,” he sighed.   

“You what, Kougami?”  She said a small prayer in her head, asking that his answer not warrant changing the team she was becoming so fond of, which included Nakamura.   

Kamiya could see the muscles of his jaw twitching as the man grit his teeth. “I was kind of pissed that she was winning.”  The teeth baring grin he gave looked one part mean and two parts crazy.   

Mina growled, glaring at her sparring partner. “Winning?  You were clearly the one winning!”  She rolled her eyes, and then said, “Why do you think I was so pissed?  I hate losing to smug assholes like you!  It feeds your ego, and that is the last thing you need.” 

“What the hell?   _You_ had me distracted.  I couldn't get a good enough hold on your tiny legs.  You and your bony arms were...” he retorted, clearly still feeling a little aggressive. 

“Could you two quit arguing like my brother and I when we were kids?” Erra cut him off, realizing that their little match was just a matter of the two of them being too competitive.   

“You called your brother a ‘smug asshole?’” he said, much like a surly teenager. 

“Don’t try to be funny now, Kou.  The tone, the vibe, it’s the same.  Either figure out how to deal with it and chill out or you will both be banned from sparring as a choice for working out.”  She looked back and forth between the two.  Both were covered in bruises, little scratches, and were so sweaty, Kamiya feared she would have to have her chairs cleaned when they left.  Her nose crinkled a little at the thought.

Erra eyed the towel Mina was pressing to the side of her head.  “Do either of you need to go to the infirmary?” 

A chorus of “no” and “absolutely not” met her ears.   

She sighed.  “Get out of my office, and don't let anything like that little display happen again.”  The redhead watched as they filed out, trying to discern if that was truly the end of it.  Her anxiety over the issue ended quickly when Kougami reached over and wiped a little blood off of the side of Mina's mouth. 

Mina feigned that she would punch him again, and he faked a flinch.  “Smug asshole?” he questioned.

“ _Tiny_ legs?” she returned.

They laughed and then began asking each other where they learned their skills, walking toward the gym together, presumably to collect their bags.   

Inspector Kamiya left her office, hoping to catch up to Ginoza and fill him in on what happened before anyone else did.  It seemed he was in a counseling session with his long-time therapist.  By the time he was finished, she would be gone for the evening.  She would just have to call him at home to fill him in.

 

********

When he’d first jerked Kougami out of the fight, Masaoka held tightly to the kid’s shoulder, letting him pause only to grab his cigarettes.  Mina trudged along, right beside the man she had been pummeling just minutes before, holding a towel to the boxer break along her eyebrow.  Pops relaxed his grip when he saw the man look over and check on the girl. 

They had definitely gone too far, and Pops was a little shocked at Kou's loss of control.  The younger enforcer had changed quite a bit since the tragic death of Tsunemori.  He was less focused, more unpredictable, unsure where he fit in without Makashima to consume his time.  Aside from that, it seemed a shift was occurring. 

Kougami seemed to be actively trying to find what kind of man he could be without obsession.  He made more of an effort than ever before to have a personal life, and Masaoka could only hope it was for the man's betterment. The old man had to admit, it was good to see the kid smile and laugh more often.   

It probably hadn't helped that the person attacking him had been Nakamura.  Tension had been building between the two since her arrival, and it wasn't like the oil and water tension she shared with Ginoza.  Mina, for her part, did seem to fancy the man who had pulled her out of rehab, but she didn't seem to like that fact.  She was wary of him, and Tomomi could only assume it was because she had been hurt in the past, quite badly judging from the signs he could gather. 

Still, he sometimes caught bits of their continuous written exchange.  Once, he had asked Kougami what it was all about.   He gave a vague answer about how it was nice to have someone who could keep up with him when it came to literature, but Pops could see there was more to it than that.  It seemed nearly every time he saw Nakamura, it was a good bet that Kougami wouldn’t be far behind, coming to be nosy over what she up to for the day.    

Clearly, Kou was intrigued with her.   

For that matter, it was becoming abundantly clear that Shinya wasn’t the only one navigating a new attraction. 

In the distance, Pops saw the redhead inspector storming to her office and mused how Nobuchika didn’t know what kind of trouble he was in for.  She was still beautiful in her fury despite the fact that she was a little frightening.  Masaoka felt he couldn’t blame Ginoza in the slightest for feeling such attraction, either.  It was strange, but refreshing for him to see his son have such an uncontrolled response to someone in his life.  The boy could distance himself/close himself off from anyone, but it seemed apparent to Masaoka that Gino was having difficulty managing that with his latest partner.

Here was a woman who actually pulled that part of his son to the surface.  It was amusing for Pops to witness his son getting easily flustered by _any_ one.  That feisty redhead was a hell of a beautiful woman, but she seemed to focus heavily on the job at hand. He worried that maybe Ginoza would find himself out of his league.  Miss Sass was confident and bold, knew she was pretty and just went with it, and she was fiercely funny to boot.  What she would have in common with Nobuchika, Pops wasn’t sure, but maybe that didn’t matter.  He reminded himself not to push his son in that direction too soon for fear it might startle him away.

Masaoka allowed himself a brief moment to hope for his son's happiness.  He also permitted himself a frivolous daydream about grandchildren, and for the first time in years, it didn't end with him in a somber mood.  Long had the guilt over his latent criminal status convinced the old man that he had permanently ruined his son's ability to have a normal life.  That, of course, included a loving relationship.  Nobuchika had simply ignored that part of living, and Tomomi knew it was out of fear of losing control of his crime co-efficient...fear of becoming just like his father and abandoning whatever family Gino may have had.  

Maybe things were changing for the better.   

It was much too early for him to be so invested, but it was top on his list of desires.  Inspector Kamiya might not be aware of it, but Pops had unintentionally placed a lot of his hopes and dreams on her shoulders.  He could only hope that she would prove to be less stubborn than his son.

 

_**To Be Continued...** _


	6. Unearthed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-authored by jolibrix 
> 
> An unusual assignment brings a disturbing discovery that could connect to both Mina's and Erra's pasts. Ginoza is concerned that his partner seems so out of sorts and his disillusion with the Sybil System continues to grow with the latest case. 
> 
> Kougami wonders what Akane would do if she were still here with them.

**_Chapter Six: Unearthed  
  
_** It had been a much longer drive than normal to reach the site of their latest case.  Ginoza had side-eyed the redhead in the passenger seat and asked, again, “He was _losing_ to Nakamura?”  He refused to believe it.  He couldn’t even form a picture in his head of the event that made sense.  Kougami being so aggressive with an enforcer he picked for the team seemed extremely out of the ordinary.  He was still partially waiting for Kamiya to give him some psychological explanation.  
  
“No.  What I said was that he _thought_ he was losing to her.  I would call it more of a draw.  Either way, the point was that I took care of it and they won't be going overboard again.  I wanted you to hear it from me before the rumor mill reached you.  I mentioned it last night when I called.  Why are you still on this?”  She rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed.     
  
“It is just atypical of Kougami.  Why are you so irritated?  Aren’t you the one that told me to be more concerned about him, Inspector Kamiya?” he asked, hoping to smooth over the aggravation he seemed to have caused.   
  
“It's fine.  I get where you are coming from.  Just—let’s focus on the case.”  She looked out the window and asked, “How much of a hike will it be to the site?”     
  
The call they had received that morning had been unusual, to say the least.  It had come from a survey crew preparing to install new Sybil scanners in a less urban area of Japan.  “It is about five miles, according to the surveying company.  It won't be a problem.”   
  
She sighed and seemed to huff away her impatience with it.  After that, they spent the rest of the ride trading amiable conversation.  He found he rather enjoyed the sporadic sunlight that filtered through the trees as they drove, playing on the color of her hair.    
  
It wasn't until they started their trek that Ginoza realized why Kamiya had asked about the hike.  She was more than physically capable, but clearly unhappy about their surroundings.  The whole way to the site, the woman cursed at various branches, plants, and rocks, seemingly because they simply existed.  Sweat made hair stick to her skin and she tried winding it into a bun out of the way, but it refused to play along.  Kamiya resigned herself to puffing or spitting out the strands that insisted on getting in her mouth.  He wouldn’t tell her, for fear that she would direct her hatred for nature at him, but he was finding it quite endearing.  
  
When they finally made it to the clearing, she composed herself and approached the foreman with him.  As they followed the job foreman off the path towards the discovered remains, Ginoza noted that his partner seemed quieter than usual, distracted, almost on edge.    
  
He also noted that it wasn’t just her usual skirt and heels that forced his attention to her body, but apparently slacks and hiking boots as well.  He groaned in irritation at himself, thankful it had been low enough that no one had heard.  
  
Ginoza led Kamiya with a hand on the small of her back to speak with the two men who had found the remains.  He hoped that he was not being too forward, but he knew that if the touch made her uncomfortable, she wasn’t the type to keep quiet about it.  
  
His mind shifted to what they were about to be investigating.  As far as he was aware, no decayed human remains had been found like this in many years, not with the Sybil System monitoring everyone and the CID out taking care of any possible crimes that arose almost immediately.  It was out of the ordinary, to say the least.  Everything in Ginoza’s life seemed determined to be out of the ordinary in the last year.  He just needed to figure out how to deal with those changes while causing himself the least stress possible.  
  
Now at the dig site, he only glanced at the hole in the ground, originally made to stabilize surveying equipment, now a grave.  It would do no good to look until the droids were here, considering their superior ability to comb through every nook and cranny of a crime scene.  He did find it ironic and amusing that those same droids were delayed in coming because they were unable to navigate the terrain his team had done with ease.     
  
“I was digging the tripod's leg in and hit something hard.  I thought it was just a rock.  When I tried to dig it out, I noticed the teeth,” the first man’s voice trembled.  He was a burly fellow with forearms larger than his biceps, but he looked as frightened as a small child.  On top of that, it was humid and the poor guy was sweating profusely.  His team would be in no better shape if they were out there much longer.   
  
The other man was telling Kamiya about how he had to hike closer to the road to get signal and notify the authorities.  The foreman lamented that he hated the jobs out in the wilderness and that the land was unusable for their purposes anyway.     
  
His partner looked a little unsettled at that statement in particular, and briefly, he wondered why.     
  
It was not until the first man was asking if they knew what happened to the person they had found that he turned and realized Nakamura was kneeling next to their crime scene and digging.  He rushed over, and in a hushed whisper asked, “What the hell do you think you are doing, Hound 4?”   
  
“Processing a crime scene, _Inspector_.”  She stopped, dropping the stick she had been using and said, “There are two people here, for the record.”     
  
“What?”  How could she tell?  There was so little uncovered.     
  
“There are two, and one of them is a sub adult.  Look.  There are two mandibles.  You can see right there, and the part that is sticking up on that one has deciduous teeth.”     
  
“I have no idea what you just said,” commented Ginoza.  He leaned down, curiosity piqued, anger waning.  She was pointing to a knobby looking bone sticking out of the soil and another that was more obviously full of teeth.  She watched his face to see if he was understanding her yet, waiting patiently for him to inspect.  “You can tell that from just this much?”     
  
“I can.  I think I can start processing this before the robots make it up here.  It might be a good idea, considering the storm that's coming.”     
  
The faint scent of chamomile and vanilla let him know that Inspector Kamiya was present behind him now.  “What's going on?” she questioned.     
  
“I think I can go ahead and start processing this.  I was just telling Inspector Ginoza that it would be a good idea, considering the storm that's coming,” Nakamura said, as she started to dig around the obvious outline of a skull.  It was almost like the enforcer was tattling on him like a child, the way she said it.      
  
“I think it is a good idea, Ginoza.  They are having trouble getting the drones ready, and the weather is going to turn nasty soon,” his partner said as she looked up.  She seemed like she would be ready for the rain, however.  The humidity appeared to be getting to Kamiya.  She used the back of her hand to wipe the sweat that was beading on her brow.  Finally, she glanced at him, waiting for his response.     
  
He _wanted_ to say “no.”  They should wait and follow protocol, but as usual, Erra's words swayed his resolve.  “Are you positive you can do this correctly, Nakamura?”  He asked, and it came out snide, even if he didn't mean for it to.  The redhead huffed behind him, and he winced remembering the scolding he’d received over not treating the newest enforcer like part of the team.    
  
“Yes, I'm positive,” she answered tiredly.  “Did we bring up any equipment?  I would like a trowel, and something to sharpen sticks with so we don't damage the bone.  Oh and a tape measure and something to take pictures with, if we have it.”  She didn't wait for his answer before carefully removing dirt from around the bone again, using her fingers.     
  
“Yes.  I'll check with Kunizuka and Masaoka,” he stated.  As he walked down the hill a bit, his partner fell in beside him.  She looked distracted.  “Kamiya, are you okay?”   
  
“Yeah.”  They walked in silence for a moment and then she said, “They don't usually send crews out this far.”   
  
“I suppose not.  I guess they were looking to expand a bit,” he responded, and noted that she was twirling the ring on her index finger.  He’d observed that she often did this when something distracted her or irritated her.   
  
“I think we should get a log of when, why, who, and where people are sent when they come this far out,” her statement was simple, but seemed fervent, and the woman refused to look at him for some reason.  “I think we should go back pretty far, considering the state of the remains.  Years, even.”     
  
“That shouldn't be a problem.”  He paused at the equipment boxes and before turning to Yayoi, quietly asked, “Are you sure you are okay?  Is there something wrong?  This heat?  Have I irritated you again?”   
  
“I'm fine, Inspector.  Stop fussing.”  She look flustered for a moment and then rushed out, “I'm going to ask Nakamura if there is any way I can help.”  Her boots kicked up grass with her departure.     
  
Shaking his head, he approached Hound 1. “Did we bring anything like a trowel, and do you have that contraband pocket knife you always carry around?”     
  
“We might.  What for?” questioned the savvy hunting dog.    
  
“Enforcer Nakamura is going to start processing the scene, and she said that's what she needs,” he stated.  Then he added, “Just hand over the pocket knife, old man.”  He whispered, “I'll give it back.”  He saw Yayoi smirk.  Before Akane had entered the scene, this exchange never would have happened, but since her death, he found he made more exceptions than he used to…especially with his father.    
  
Masaoka chuckled warmly, and withdrew the knife.  Ginoza missed where it came from, again.  He could never figure out exactly where the man hid the damned thing.   
  
He went to deposit the contraband but faltered when he saw Erra leading Kougami to where Nakamura was pulling dirt back and to the side of the grave's outline.  Kou immediately started moving dirt, nodding his head, and talking through his cigarette as Mina gave direction.  He saw Erra make a grab for the tobacco, but she wasn't quick enough.  The man pulled it out of his mouth and held it up and away from her.  Gino couldn’t make out what his old friend said to her, but Kamiya waved her hand in surrender.    
  
As Kou placed the cigarette back between his lips, he could faintly hear her saying, “Just—whatever gets the job done, you two.”  The redhead walked off to the tree line, heel of her hand to the space above her eyes, looking far beyond _stressed_.  
  
Ginoza finished handing the tools over to his latent detectives and asked a few questions, never taking his eyes off of his partner.  Leaving Mina and Kou to tend to the dead, he made his way over to the other inspector.  
  
“Inspector Kamiya, clearly something is bothering you.  What can I do to help?”  
  
She looked annoyed that he hadn’t left well enough alone.  “If you wouldn’t mind bringing me a drink…that would be great.  Bloody Mary?  Tall glass of bourbon, perhaps?”     
  
Furrowing his brows, he said, “I don’t think that would be appropriate on the job, Inspector.  And if I’ve learned anything from Masaoka, it’s that alcohol won’t fix a clouded hue.  I’m more than a little surprised that you would…”  
  
She interrupted, voice full of irritation, “Oh my God!  Can’t you even tell a joke when you hear one?  Obviously I would never drink on the job.  What kind of inspector do you think I am, Ginoza?  Shit!  As for my hue, it’s perfectly fine.  Go ahead and check it with your dominator if you’re so concerned!”  
  
He found that he was extremely taken aback.  She never scolded him like this when he missed her sarcasm.  She would only tease him further, but she never got aggravated this way.  “No, that—that’s not neces…” but she cut him off again.   
  
“Here.  I’ll do it,” she huffed, yanking his dominator up and towards her, pressing his finger onto the trigger with her own.  
  
“Target is a registered Inspector.  No enforcement required.”  Her number was in the high 30s and her hue a nice, pale blue.  Despite how agitated she seemed, it didn’t affect her psycho-pass.  Then again, he hadn’t thought it would have.  He was still surprised by her attitude and what was happening.  He stood before her, unsure what to say or do next.  
  
“Listen, I know I seem a little out of sorts, but I will be okay.  I just need a few minutes alone... and you really need to work on recognizing sarcasm, if we’re going to keep getting along,” she said.  Then her eyes did a scan from head to foot of his body, sizing him up.  It made him feel self-conscious.     
  
“I’ll give you the time you need.  I will also,” he straightened his glasses and huffed, “work on recognizing sarcasm.”  He turned to leave, but her voice stopped him.     
  
“Inspector?  Sorry I’ve been so short tempered today.  I _do_ appreciate the concern.  Thank you.”     
  
He placed a hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture, nodded, and then trudged to the ever expanding pit to check on their enforcers.     
  
He heard Kougami's voice carry across the area, “Are you serious?!  You can't possibly tell that!”   
  
Mina was giggling by the time he reached the two. “No.  You can't, but for just one second, you actually believed me.  Priceless!”     
  
Hound 3 pushed her over, into a pile of dirt, ashed his cigarette, and continued to gently remove loamy soil from the eye sockets of the skull.  “Damn it, woman!”     
  
“Excuse me.  This is a crime scene, and I expect the pair of you to act professionally,” he scolded.  Both looked at him and frowned.  “Is there any way I can assist?”   
  
Nakamura sifted through dirt and placed what looked like rock into a plastic evidence bag.  “I need pictures as we unearth more of it.  That way, if we accidentally move something before mapping, we can still see the positioning.”     
  
“You can do that with your communicator, Enforcer,” he said, bewildered that she didn't already know that.  He saw Kougami give her his own baffled stare.   
  
“Oh.  Yes.  I guess I forgot,” she said, looking uneasy.   
  
He took a few pictures, if only to have something to do.  Otherwise, he would just continue staring at his partner, who was now pacing at the tree line.     
  
Masaoka brought over water, and both of the digging enforcers stopped to take a short break.   
  
“She says that it looks like the kid was vitamin D deficient, to the extreme.  May be child abuse,” Kou stood beside him, watching the little brunette take in the landscape.     
  
“How the hell can she tell that?”  Ginoza hated feeling out of the loop on information.     
  
“Said the long bones are bowed, and it really can't be anything else.  Looks like she knows her shit,” his former partner said, lighting another cigarette.     
  
Before he could respond, the little brunette cut in.  “Do you guys see that?”  She gestured to the long grass that was really everywhere but the forest.     
  
“The grass?” Kou asked, confused.     
  
“No.  The change in it.”  She grabbed a large stick and walked about twelve feet.  Slowly, she inserted the stick into the ground, repeating the process at least five times in different spots.  “You guys can't see it from here?”     
  
Ginoza shook his head.  “What are you getting at?”  He felt momentary relief as his partner had finally edged up beside him.     
  
“I might be crazy, but...” Nakamura cut herself off and sprinted to the tree line.   
  
“What the hell is she doing?” Kamiya asked.   
  
He explained the last few bizarre moments as they followed the enforcer.  Pops and Kunizuka joined them, the whole of Division One watching the strange little woman.   
  
“Mina, what the fuck are you doing?”  Kougami sounded just as perplexed as Gino felt.      
  
The woman grabbed onto a low branch and started to make her way up a large tree.  “What does it look like?  I'm climbing a tree!”     
  
“Yeah, but why?”  Kou was standing directly beneath it.  Ginoza could tell he hated not being in the know as well.     
  
Leaves fell, branches shook, and finally they could see her come up near the top.  She was looking down at the clearing.  They heard a soft, “Damn,” and then, “I'm coming down!”   
  
More shaking, more leaves, and then they could see her small booted feet.  Mina almost made it down until the branch she was standing on cracked and quickly fell from under her.  Ginoza marveled at just how quick his dad reacted.  She fell directly into his arms, rubbing a spot on her back.     
  
“Thank you, Pops,” she said looking embarrassed.     
  
“It was my pleasure.  It’s not every day that I get to carry a pretty lady in my arms,” he was smirking at her.  Ginoza suppressed the urge to groan and roll his eyes.     
  
Finally on her own feet again, Nakamura approached.  “I think there are more graves.  It's easier to see from up there, but look.”  She pointed.  “Do you see how some of the grass is shorter and a different color...more yellow?”     
  
He looked, and he could.  “Yes,” both he and Erra answered in unison.   
  
“That is an indicator of some type of environmental change, like burying a body.  We should check at the very least and see if I'm right.  And there is a change in the soil density too.  That is what I was doing with the stick.”     
  
“You aren't finished processing what you started.  We should just wait for the drones,” he stated.  This all felt too messy already, and who better to do that kind of work than the robots.     
  
“It would be good to just know, inspector.  I mean, what if this is a place where a serial killer is dumping bodies.  The quicker we figure that out, the better off we'll be,” she argued.  It was in that moment that Ginoza saw a major similarity between Kougami and the short woman before him.   
  
He sighed and looked at Erra, who if anything, now looked too composed.  “I think I agree,” she said.  “Can Kougami finish what you guys started already?”   
  
“I can,” Kou said.  Mina balked a little, looking torn.  “I'll be careful.  Pops will help me,” he added.      
  
“It's settled then.  Nakamura, go see if your theory is correct,” Kamiya ordered.  He couldn't help but notice how she didn't even wait for his input.  No matter how composed she looked, she was still in a snippy mood.  “Let's go help her, Ginoza.”   The redhead tugged on his sleeve.  He was becoming annoyed but he put forth no argument.      
  
  
********  
  
 _Damn the heat!_ She thought to herself as she helped skim a layer of dirt from a spot they had just cleared of grass.  Ginoza kept on glancing at her, and such was her mood, she fought the childish urge to smack him in the nose.  She knew she was acting strange and that it would worry the man after everything his previous partners had faced.  Still, she could handle it herself.  
  
Erra could not shake the foreboding feeling that skirted around her every thought.     
  
This was exactly the kind of place they had sent Ren Kamiya to before he went missing.  Ren had described it to her, sounding childlike in his enthusiasm.  He had always liked the outdoors and found the remote nature of his new work site comforting.  His love of nature had always baffled her.  
  
The redhead hated it.  She had hated it then, and she deplored it now.  The bugs, the humidity, and the way every piece of foliage and dirt seemed to cling to her itching skin made her long for the air conditioned rooms of the CID.      
 _  
What if one of these people turn out to be Ren?_  That question had repeated itself over and over in her head.  The idea of her loved one dying because of some psychopath made her nauseous.     
  
Her gaze fell on Nakamura, who had smudges of dirt all over her person, and didn't seem to care one bit.  The enforcer also seemed completely content in the heat.  In all actuality she had rarely seen the brunette so happy.  Kamiya fought the urge to smack at the girl, too.  The fact that the humidity and the outdoors seemed to _agree_ with the woman filled her with aggravation.   
  
“Nakamura, is this...” her partner started, uncharacteristically unsure.     
  
The enforcer leaned in close and said, “I think it is.  Uncover more.  Switch to the bamboo sticks.”   
  
Within moments, Mina had declared that yes, it was bone.  A few minutes later, they were sure it was human.  “You can tell by the foramen magnum placement,” the dirty brunette explained pointing to what was apparently an upside down skull.      
  
“How many spots like this did you see?” Erra asked apprehensively.  
  
“At least eight.”  Mina deliberated for a moment and said, tactfully, “I suggest we split up, so we can check more of the area.”   
  
Her partner, oddly enough, agreed and got up to tell the others.  She noticed that Ginoza’s demeanor had now changed.  He seemed disturbed and confused as to what they had unearthed here.  Erra watched him tap Yayoi on the shoulder as the two of them paired off to check another area.  He became hyper-focused on the task at hand, and she was glad that he was no longer concerning himself over her.    
  
The two women worked in silence, only pausing when Mina ascertained that this grave also held more than one body.  The redhead was feeling faint for multiple reasons and announced that she needed water.  She stood there, hating everything, and watching as Hound 4 took charge and gave everyone directions.     
  
Her thoughts turned to Ren again, and how he had been ripped from her life so suddenly and traumatically that there was still a hole there.  And now, she was looking at what might be his grave, letting memories surface that had been long buried.  She remembered his smile and the way he would tug at her hair when he wanted attention.  What if one of the skulls she had helped box up turned out to be him?  
  
Erra was brought out of her dark thoughts with a nudge to the shoulder.  Looking up, she saw Pops watching her with great concern.  “You alright, Sass?”  
  
She offered him a half-hearted smile.  “I will be.  I just need a distraction.”  
  
“Watch how quickly I can rattle that partner of yours,” Masaoka said with a mischievous glint in his green eyes.  Rather loudly, he asked, “Say, Inspector Ginoza, what’s a man gotta do to bend that rule about personal relations between enforcers and inspectors?”  He was very obviously checking out the beautiful redhead.  
  
“Not now, old man!  Can’t you see we don’t have time for one of your games,” he rolled his eyes.  “As if any inspector would be interested in you in the first place.”  
  
Masaoka sidled up next to Kamiya and slid an arm around her back, resting his hand on her waist.  “I don’t know.  I can think of a few that might.”  
  
She smirked and gave him a naughty side-eye.  “In your dreams, Pops!” she shot back.  
  
“See, now that is precisely where I was hoping to get you out of, Inspector.”  As always, he was prepared with a smooth comeback.  It was natural for the man.  It was so good the way he had crooned it at her that it made her actually blush and laugh.  
  
“You’re incorrigible!” she scoffed, placing a quick kiss to his cheek.  
  
“Alright, that’s quite enough.  You know that’s out of the question, the both of you,” her partner groaned.  
  
“Oh, he’s only teasing, Gino.  Don’t get so bent out of shape.  You’re not jealous, are you?”  
  
“You’re being quite unprofessional, Kamiya.”  
  
“He didn’t answer the question, Pops.  Did you hear that?”  She kept her eyes on his increasing uncomfortable demeanor adding, “You didn’t answer the question.”  
  
He adjusted his glasses and turned to the side, frowning at the pair of them acting like school children.  It was adorable in Erra’s opinion.  
  
Nakamura called from the place she was digging, “Inspector Ginoza doesn’t seem like the jealous type.  He probably finds sex an enormous waste of time.”  
  
Everyone stopped what they were doing except for Mina and stared at the inspector, waiting to see him lose his cool.  Erra bit back a laugh at the enforcer’s crude statement and the fact that she hadn’t seemed to realize it was out of place.  Mina continued, “Pops on the other hand, I bet that’s a man who—“  
  
“Min, shut up!” Kougami hushed.  She looked up and noticed the uncomfortable atmosphere she’d created and shrugged it off.  Ginoza was walking alone back down the hill to their equipment carts.  Sighing, Erra pat Masaoka on the shoulder and jogged a bit to catch up.  
  
“Come to laugh some more?” he asked bitterly.  
  
“I wasn’t laughing at you.  I was laughing at Nakamura and that mouth of hers.  It’s pretty amusing.”  Her partner looked as if he whole-heartedly disagreed.  
  
“You know Pops and I were just kidding, right?”  
  
“I wish you weren’t so familiar with them.”  
  
“It is what it is, Inspector.  You treat them your way.  I’ll treat them mine.  Besides, it’s a stupid rule…what if an enforcer and inspector were in love to begin with?  What if they’d been married before the hue became clouded?  What if they just really wanted to have hot sex?” she teased.  
  
“The rule is there for a reason.”    
  
She rolled her eyes at his predictable answer.  
  
“Passion makes people kind of crazy.  Surely even you agree.  There’s no one that ever made you feel like you would break that rule?”  
  
He stared at her for a long moment, concentrating especially hard, and a nervous energy tensed her abdomen.  
  
“No,” he said shortly.  “I don’t see that kind of thing happening for someone like me.”  
  
He grabbed water off the cart and left her standing there feeling terribly awkward and confused.  
  
  
********  
  
As he strained dirt through a makeshift screen, searching for bits of bone or evidence, Shinya mused that this was what they had to do back in Masaoka's day.  He was impressed at how much more intricate detective work was back then.  
  
Still, he didn't understand how this could have happened now.  It should have been impossible.  Hell, had there even been this many missing person's cases since Sybil took over?  Akane's words, memorized by now, flew through his mind.   _Keep questioning.  Seek answers._  What would she do if she were here with them?  Would she draw parallels between Makashima and the possible serial killer responsible for the mess they were literally digging through?  Could they have another criminal impervious to Sybil's justice?     
  
He missed that fresh-faced inspector so much it physically hurt.  Where would he and Akane be, right now, if she had not taken his death?   
  
The work was back breaking, and Kougami was glad for it.   The ache in his back and knees assisted in distracting from all the possible implications of finding a mass grave.  If his mind wandered too far, it may never snap back.  With a quick look up, he spied Gino focusing diligently on the task before him.  He worried over the inspector's hue.  Was he asking the same questions?  That was dangerous business where it concerned Ginoza.  
  
A little break was far overdue.  The man lit a cigarette and closed his eyes to think.     
  
His note trading with Nakamura had proven that he wasn't completely faithless in terms of Sybil.  Every now and then, he actually defended it, realizing that if someone were to fight the structure that ran everyone’s life in Japan, that person would have to realize it would be a collapse of a society.  On the other hand, on days like today, when he was faced with what could only be something greatly unjust, all happening under the nose of Sybil, he was less forgiving.  Nothing could defend the number of dead they unearthed or the atrocities perpetrated by people like Makashima.  Change needed to happen.  The question was “how?”     
  
There was no doubt of foul play in his mind.  This wasn't an old cemetery.  The bodies were stacked without care or sign of ritual evident in most funerary practices.     
  
_Damn it_ , he thought, hating his own agitation.   
  
Without thinking, Kou found himself trudging toward Ginoza and quietly sitting next to the man.  Knowing the process well enough now, he grabbed a few handfuls of dirt, recently pulled out of the grave, and started sifting through it.  The unsettling feeling that had been so overwhelming just minutes before seemed to ebb a bit.   
  
“Get back to work.  You heard Nakamura.  It'll be faster if we split up,” Gino said.   
  
Kougami didn't answer him, knowing that while it would annoy his former partner, it would also make it clear that he didn't give a damn about going back to where he had been digging.  This type of work, the unveiling of the dead, was better done in pairs.  At least, he thought so.    
  
He had the ulterior motive of watching his friend a little closer, gauging his mental state.  As uptight and closed off as Gino could be, Shinya had always been able to read him.  The enforcer had failed his best friend in that respect over the last several years.  He had paid little attention to the stress Ginoza was under, concentrating all of his energy on Makashima.  His obsession with catching Sasayama’s killer had consumed him until he was almost completely devoured.  If it hadn’t been for Akane’s sacrifice, he didn’t know where his mind would be right now…or Gino’s.    
  
He had made a promise to himself to be a better friend, whether Gino wanted it or not.  Right now, he could tell, merely because of the way the other man was hyper focusing on the task before him, that he was extremely bothered.  Ginoza liked to keep tabs on his hounds, and whenever he let that attention slip, Kou knew something was weighing heavily on the man's mind.     
  
He considered doing something to piss his boss off, if only to distract the inspector, but decided against it.  He picked out what might have been a portion of a tooth, holding it up to the sunlight, wondering if there was any point in bagging it, when he noticed that Ginoza's hands had stopped moving.  A quick look over the inspector’s shoulder revealed a skull that very obviously belonged to a child.   
  
The look on Gino's face made him want to punch something.  He had pulled his glasses off his face and was pressing his knuckles into closed eyelids, like he might be able to force away whatever image he had conjured of this child’s death.   
  
Now, Kou had to think of something to bring his former partner out of the dark place his mind must be circling.  He considered faking knocking into the inspector before a shock of red hair and pale skin caught his attention.  It was obvious to Kougami how much his friend doted on the woman…if you could call it that, while talking about Nobuchika Ginoza.  Now he had something to bring up that would certainly distract Gino.     
  
“I think Inspector Kamiya might need a little help over there.  She looks like she is about to pass out.”  He pointed to where the pretty redhead was slouched against a tree, looking like she was about to have a heatstroke.  It was odd for him to see her like this.  Since joining Division One, the woman had proven to be damned near tireless, and typically, on top of her game.  As soon as she had started working with them, she hit the ground running.  She had needed little instruction, unlike Akane.  She was also much bossier than the little brown-eyed inspector had been.   
  
Today, she seemed rattled, and the heat was not agreeing with her.  In fact, he thought he saw telltale signs of a sunburn forming.  As to why she was upset, Kou had his own theories, and thought it best to keep them to himself.  If he was certain of one thing, it was that Inspector Kamiya wanted to keep the source of her anxiety to herself.      
  
“She told me to leave her alone,” Gino muttered.  
  
“Still a heartbreaker, I see,” Kou joked.  Seeing that his friend looked equally as stressed about being pushed away, he tried again.  “Even if she did tell you that, she needs water again, Gino.  Look at her.  She’s obviously not able to concentrate today.  Don’t let her faint.”  
  
Green eyes glanced across the field to the tree, and Gino huffed a sigh of frustration.  “I'll be back.  Take over, and try to be less nosy,” Kamiya’s partner said, standing up and dusting off his pants.  Shinya felt a small sense of accomplishment at getting his pal thinking about something less traumatic.    
  
With a grimace, Kougami squatted and went to work, moving dirt away from the deceased child, so that his friend wouldn't have to when he returned.  Only once did his thoughts wander back to the last Shepherd 2, who he listened to every morning, and it was to think of all he could have taught her and all they could have shared.  She would have made a phenomenal detective, that was for sure, and she would not have balked at the complexity of their new case.  She would have pressed forward and done what needed to be done.  It was times like this that made him feel especially transformed by Akane Tsunemori.  
  
  
 ** _To Be Continued..._**


	7. Unfair Devlopments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mina's past outside of the Sybil system has lead the team to a dangerous juncture, putting jobs and freedom on the line, but the bodies they discovered deserve justice, and Erra needs to know more to help her deal with her own tragic past.
> 
> Ginoza doesn't like being put in this position, but something with the whole situation is obviously amiss, not to mention that it's becoming clearer to him by the day that he would do anything to make Inspector Kamiya happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> co-authored by jolibrix
> 
> If you want to see some art of the characters that we've had commissioned so far, you can check out the folder on my deviantart.  
> http://thatgingahninja.deviantart.com/gallery/56634101/Original-Character-Commissions

  
Mina carefully dug around the thorax of one of the three bodies that had been dumped in these outskirts and shuffled the collection of facts that had accumulated since arriving at the site.    
  
_Fact one_ , almost none of the bodies had clothes.  The team had started the slow process of uncovering at least ten people, and only three, thus far, had remnants of clothing that were looking disturbingly like hospital gowns.  Otherwise, they found no cloth, buttons, zippers, or any of the other normal things usually left behind by clothing.  It meant that these poor people had been dumped there nude.    
  
_Fact two_ , they were definitely dumped there.  One could expect some small displacement as bodies rotted.  Weather, earthquakes, and even tree roots were all culprits of moving bones, but none of that could account for the blatant evidence that the dead were thrown into very large pits, landing every which way.  Some were prone.  Some were supine.  Many seemed to have been stacked on top of each other.  Either way, it lacked evidence of any pattern that might have indicated that the graves were funerary in nature.  
  
_Fact three_ , from what little she could see, they were not archaeological.  A few wore busted communicators, which was very recent technology.  It reminded her of the wrist bands the Unregistereds had managed to commandeer when she was a child.  Slightly outdated, the bands had still managed to change her people's lives.  There were medical devices that, no doubt were current technology.  Even Unregistered doctors had access to that kind of hardware because of her brother's black market trading.  She had seen some obvious wiring and connecting ports for a cybernetic leg.  No one could call that archaeological.  
Nakamura would also bet money on the fact that some of the medical devices they had found were recent as well.      
  
The woman had a very active imagination that, unfortunately, supplied her with many different scenarios as to why and how the bodies managed to get there.  None of what she fathomed was good.  
  
Frustrated, she came out of her squatting position, stretched, and made her way around to see how the others were doing.  As Mina checked on the inspectors and Yayoi, she consciously formed a wall around her self-doubt, knowing that it had no place here, at a crime scene.  It also helped her quell the urge to admit that she was no expert and had little to no real life experience with skeletal crime scenes.    
  
Her experience with bone identification came from adults who had no problem satisfying her morbid curiosity.  She had asked, and they had taken her to the graves of her long dead relatives, allowing her to sift through the bones and ask anything she wanted.  Every year afterward, during their Festival of Bones, she repeated the process, learning something new every single time.  In a way, her fascination with death brought her closer to her family.  What better way to learn than with the bones of loved ones, they had concluded.    
  
But this was different.  She was working on memory from the multitude of books she had read on the subject.  If they asked her to do lab work, it would be a long process, because Nakamura knew she would have to constantly go back and check herself with reference material.  There was pressure coming from many different sources.  First and foremost, the dead that had been chucked here, they deserved rest and justice.  Hopefully, the drones would be able to sort this out.    
Nakamura was also painfully cognizant of just how badly she needed to prove herself a worthy member of the team.  If she fucked this up, it was probably the last strike.  The tension that surrounded the team was palpable, and she could understand why.  This wasn't supposed to be possible with Sybil in charge.  It was throwing a wrench in the cogs of the system they used to run their entire lives.  If these people hadn’t been part of the police force, they never would have even needed to _think_ on their own.  
  
Mina had kept her thoughts to herself, assuming that the findings would be better received through the robots.  She also couldn't afford to reveal her findings and then have it come up wrong.  That would certainly rock their already shaky confidence in her.  
  
She made her way to Masaoka, who had quite the pile of dirt behind him, waiting to be sifted through the strainer.  “Hey Pops, how are you holding up?  Got any questions?” she questioned, sitting down and starting the arduous but necessary process of sifting through soil.    
  
“Not yet, Trouble.”  He paused a moment and gave her a very steady appraising look.  The old man's eyes seemed to take in her face the longest.  Then he said,  
  
“This work seems to agree with you.  You remind me of someone I met a very long time ago, back when I was a detective, before Sybil was instituted into the justice system.”    
  
“And who is that, Pops?”    
  
“Another person named Nakamura, actually.  I met him at a mandatory training course.  He was teaching us to process skeletal crime scenes, just in case technology failed us, as it seems to have done today.”      
  
Mina knew he would be able to see the tension in her body.  There was no way to stop it though.  “What an interesting coincidence?” she tried to say nonchalantly.  Odds were, that man had been her father.  
  
“Interesting.  Yes...I seem to remember him having hair the color of yours and some of the brightest blue eyes.  More strange coincidences, I suppose.”  The lines around his eyes crinkled as he smiled at her.    
  
She felt like the breath had been knocked out of her.  
  
“I haven’t thought about that in many years.  I wonder what that man is up to now,” he mused, not taking his focus off of the woman.  
  
“ _He's left this earth, Old Man_ ,” she wanted to say.  She was almost positive it had been her dad. “Who knows, Pops?  Best not to dwell on the past.”  Mina stood up and squeezed his shoulder.  “I'm going to go and check on the others.  Yell if you need anything.”    
  
She tried to keep her steps unhurried, but found herself almost jogging toward Yayoi.  Mina stopped and headed toward the tree line, realizing that a little break away from the others was needed. Masaoka had brought up memories better left buried deep.    
  
Michio Nakamura had been a brilliant forensic anthropologist, father, and husband.  She could remember sitting on his knee looking at osteology manuals and asking questions, and much to her favor, no subject was too taboo for him to discuss.  Even to this day, the woman found herself wishing for his guidance, and hating his decision to leave her and Kishio alone.    
  
Nakamura could remember when she found his body, syringe still sticking out of his arm, and in his hand, a picture of her mother.  Her brother had not been far behind her that morning.  It was the only time she ever saw her brother cry.  Even when her mother had been taken in a raid, he had never shed a tear... at least, not in in front of her.  
  
The little brunette punched a tree focusing on the pain of scraped knuckles and jarred bones.  It would do no good to think of her family now.  They were all dead, and the best she could do was live her life.  She was alone...left behind, and no tears could change that.    
  
She missed her people and true home to the point of pain.  If she were home, Mina would be helping gather fruit, raiding the forgotten and decrepit cities of old Japan, stealing hyper oats, pulling fishing nets, and enjoying the myriad of festivals dedicated to the changing of the season.  These celebrations would be entirely representative of the various cultural groups that made up the UR population.    
  
A week later, every group, (they had separated out of necessity due to raids), would come together for the Festival of Bones.  It was a time when her people were at their most vulnerable with everyone coming together, but it was so important that none chose to miss it.  This event was the only ritual that was entirely unique to the Unregistereds as a group.  The history behind it was morbid and sad, but it had turned out to be a time to gather as a single cohesive group and pay homage to their ancestors.  Later, the missing were added to the roster of those to remember and honor.  This was where she had learned about bones, and she was going to miss it this time.  She had missed it for over five years now.  She wouldn't be able to pay proper respect to her father, mother, and brother, and it ate at her.    
Leaning against her impromptu and rather unforgiving punching bag, Nakamura let the smells and textures of the forest seep in and give her a piece of home.  The simplest of memories trickled through, but it was all the more poignant for its normalcy.  Mina and her brother were sitting outside on a warm summer night eating pomegranates, and teasing each other, as usual.  It wasn't long before they had started a mini war, spitting the seeds at each other, effectively grossing out Kishio's boyfriend of the time.    
  
It made her all the more aware that that was something she could no longer do.  Her brother was dead, and she wasn't permitted out of the CID without an escort.  How would Inspector Ginoza react to a request to simply sit outside at night?  
  
Reality slapped Mina in the face again as she caught sight of Masaoka digging.  She was here, unearthing the dead for Sybil, and doing it with Sybilites.  Her mind had come full circle, back to the skeletons, and back to the fact that they were looking at a mass grave.  The people they found here deserved proper funerals... Nakamura wondered at how people here conducted such matters.  Once again, her thoughts turned to the missing Unregistereds and how they would never see a proper burial.  Anger overflowed once more.  The tree suffered more assaults to its bark, before she heard footsteps behind her.  
  
“I think the tree's winning,” Kougami said, looking bemused and eyeing her carefully.  The rumor mill provided her with the knowledge that the man was a magnificent profiler, which scared the shit out of her.    
  
“Hmph.  Best fight it's had in centuries, I bet.”  Self-consciously, she wiped her bloody knuckles across the rough fabric of her fatigues.    
  
The way he stared became pointed.  “Hold still,” he commanded.  A hand came out and rubbed at her chin.  “You are very dirty,” he said, looking at his fingers.    
  
The woman started to drag her own digits across her face, but one look showed that her hands were filthy.    
  
“The drones are here.  They want us to start the hike back.”  
  
Looking over, she saw little and big robots stationed around the many graves they had started uncovering.  The others were packing up.  Pops had two large cases in his hands, and she wondered at how well he would hike with them.    
  
As they made their way silently back to the paddy wagon, she started to feel the full effect of the strenuous work day.  Climbing the ramp into the wagon made her feet feel like lead.  She was exhausted emotionally and physically.  
  
Nakamura must have fallen asleep on the way back, because one second, she was fussing at her brother and his rowdy friends, and the next, her brother morphed into Kougami.  His voice floated to her, a smooth mix of cigarettes, hard liquor, and certainty.  He was so cocksure, and if he wasn't so handsome he probably wouldn't get away with it.    
  
“Mina.”    
  
“No,” she said.  She didn’t want to see Kou.  She wanted her brother back, even just for a second.    
  
“Mina,” his voice was softer than normal.    
  
More aware than before, she realized that she was asleep against his arm.  “Mnnggh,” she groaned, opening her eyes for only a second then nuzzling into her 'pillow'.  
  
“Damn, you’re a hard person to wake up,” he stated, voice low.      
  
She was still against his shoulder, confused.  “Huh?”  She knew he’d said something.   _Hadn’t he?_  It was of no use anyway, because her eyes started to droop shut again.    
  
“Exactly,” he said sounding amused, tugging lightly on her hair.  Warm palms were against her shoulders, sitting Nakamura upright.  “You can sleep later.  We have a debriefing to go to.”    
  
“I'll carry her,” Pops said in an exaggerated voice.    
  
That woke her up enough to shake her head.  No one was carrying Mina Nakamura anywhere.  Shakily, the woman came to her feet and walked into the building.  Kougami was leading her, hand pressed lightly between her shoulder blades.  They filed back into the office, and gathered around the two inspectors.  Mina noted that Erra looked perturbed and just as tired as she felt.  It was also of note that Ginoza was eyeing his partner with care and worry.    
Once everyone was paying attention, Erra stated, “We received the drones' report while we were headed back.”    
  
“Wow, that was really fucking quick,” Mina said, forgetting to censor her speech.    
  
“Yeah, too quick,” Masaoka added.    
  
“They sent it before the rain even started,” Ginoza added, looking perturbed.    
  
“What are you dancing around?” the little brunette asked snippily.    
  
“They came to the conclusion that it was archaeological.”  Kamiya sounded sad and frustrated.    
  
“On what fucking grounds?  There is no way... Please tell me you all agree.  You saw!  You saw the same things I saw!  You guys know that's wrong.  Please tell me you do!”  She saw red, outraged.    
  
“Sybil couldn't identify the bodies, and therefore assumed the bodies were historical.  They are going to be incinerated this afternoon,” Gino supplied, looking like he didn't quite believe the logic either.  It was maddening that despite that look on his face, he was still going to just allow it to happen.  
  
“They didn't even have time to dig them all out.  There is no damned way.  Can you guys appeal this?”  
  
“No.  I already tried,” the redhead looked somewhat depressed…defeated even.  It was an emotion Mina had never seen on the woman's face.    
Kou tapped Nakamura’s shoulder, demanding attention, making her lock with his eyes.  “What were your findings, Mina?  Why are you so sure?” he was looking at her intently.    
  
“There were ports and wiring for cybernetic arms and legs.  Some of the other medical devices seemed recent as well.  And there were indicators of foul play.  You guys saw the hospital gowns.  I bet if we checked on the dental work, it would all be recent too... And I saw some signs of violence— broken bones partially healed, I noticed green around some of the bones and found copper wiring, as if their hands had been tied... stuff like that.  The whole site was indicative of mal intent.  How could Sybil fucking miss that?!”    
  
It was the most ludicrous thing she could imagine.  A super computer that couldn't deduce what she could from just a few hours of work.  Something was _very_ wrong with this situation.  “I could _show_ you all, if I had the remains, and you would see it, plain and clear as day.”  
  
_Maybe they couldn't identify them because they weren't in the system.  Maybe they were Unregistered.  Maybe Sybil just set fire to the only lead I have on finding out what happened to my people._    
  
Her thoughts were wild, but she tried to calm her features because both Kougami and Masaoka were looking at her, trying to read her.    
  
“We still have the first four we dug out,” Pops supplied.    
  
“Wait, you didn't make a manifest and give it to the bots?” she asked.    
  
He scratched the back of his head and said, “Looks like I must have forgotten to add those few.  Guess it works out better for us, eh?”    
  
_Clever old man!_ Mina silently praised.  All of them knew there would be only one reason he would “forget.”  
  
“Who said that we weren't going to turn over that evidence?  We need...” Ginoza started, but as much as she feared him throwing her back into rehab, this was something she most certainly could not stand for.  
  
“What the hell?!  We are just going to ignore a mass grave?  Why?  Because the infallible Sybil System couldn't figure it out?”  
  
“That’s right!” he shouted back, but she could see his jaw clench after the words.  It was enough to let Mina know that even _he_ was doubting Sybil on this one.  
She tried quickly to come up with some solution to which he would consent and came up with nothing that could possibly appeal to the rule following inspector.  They were glaring at each other.  He knew that something was amiss, but was choosing to ignore it for rear of recrimination.  It seemed so useless and unfair. The more she thought about the possibility of them being Unregistereds the more frustrated with the situation she became.  They could be _her_ people, damn it!  
  
“Fine then,” she said.   _If they aren't going to do anything about it, I am at least going to get a look at what we brought back, and they will have to pry them from my hands._    
  
She walked toward the door, intent on getting to the boxes and hiding them in her room until they inevitably came for the dead.  Nakamura quickly made a list of things she could use to bar the door.  This place was so damned backwards if this was how they treated a mass grave.    
  
She didn't make it ten steps before Pops blocked the way out with his body and Kougami grabbed her wrist, trying to pull her resisting form back beside him.  They were at an impasse.  She refused to budge, and he refused to release his hold.  Kou's eyes focused on the compass tattoo on her wrist.  She had caught him staring at it more than a few times.  He always looked at it like he was trying to memorize the contours of the ink.  Mina knew that if he really wanted, he could use brute strength to move her.      
  
Instead, he said, “Min, I know what you are thinking.  I can read it all over your face.  Don't do it.”    
  
“Let go of me,” she hissed, trying to twist out of his fingers and failing.  A quick look showed that Ginoza was scowling, but Erra looked deep in thought, studying the scene in front of her.    
  
Nakamura noticed the signs of panic floating through her limbs.  She could see the faces of the taken with perfect clarity. Five years of her life may have been missing, but the years before that were clear.  The wails of mothers who lost children, cries of orphaned little ones, and the helplessness of everyone left behind after a raid flooded her senses.  There were so many, and they had not a single clue as to what happened or why.  Her brother had found something and died for it, and in her grief, Mina had failed to go get that information. Oh how stupid she had been.  She wasn't going to fail this time.  She owed it to her people to at least look at the dead.    
  
With a jerk and a twist she surprised Shinya and managed to break the hold and had every intention of knocking the old man down.  She had to try.  The woman wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she didn't.    
  
She heard Erra say, “Shit, grab her.”    
  
Masaoka was never in any danger.  Kou had wrapped one arm around her waist and the other around her chest.  The hold was tight, and the only way of getting out of it was to hurt him, which was something she didn't want to do.  Still, a struggle ensued.  Nakamura was worked up, breathing far too hard, and close to tears.    
  
“Hound 4, you need to get a hold of yourself and accept...” the black haired inspector started, but she interrupted, yelling.    
  
“This is wrong! And you all know it!”  A survey of the room showed looks of shock and maybe even guilt.  “What is _wrong_ with you people?  I get that you have grown up without having to worry, because of Sybil and...”  _Stop now Mina._   _You are saying too much... making it too obvious._  Her brother warned from inside her head.  A short frustrated scream made the grip around her constrict in response.  “Those people had families, friends... people who miss them... love them.”  The woman tried to break free one more time and had to admit defeat.  He didn't let go, even after she sagged.  “The people who care about them deserve to... hell... just imagine it.  Someone you love and care about is in your life and then one day they just don't come home... can't be found.  It leaves a hole that can never be filled, because you don't know if they’re alive or de....”    
  
Kamiya's voice cut in loud, clear, and more emotional than Mina had ever heard from her.  “If we give you the time, can you process all the remains that we have without lab equipment?”    
  
“Yes.  Just let me look at them.  I know I can at least prove...”  
  
“Wait! What exactly are you saying, Kamiya?  We could lose our jobs over this.  It’s illegal and a direct violation of orders. You can’t seriously be considering allowing this!” said Inspector Ginoza.  
  
Mina’s eyes widened and she stood very still as she noticed that Inspector Kamiya’s eyes appeared full of tears.  She had kind of believed that the woman’s empathetic mannerisms were an act to gain trust, but perhaps she was wrong.  Maybe Kamiya felt deeply for these poor people.  Whatever the case, it was clear that Mina had struck a nerve.  
  
As the redhead turned to face her partner, Mina was surprised again by these people as the harsh Inspector Ginoza’s face turned immediately to worry.  He seemed as unnerved as Mina felt at seeing Kamiya’s eyes so full of tears over this.  
  
“Inspector Ginoza,” his partner started softly, “this needs to happen.  Nakamura is right.  These people and their families deserve justice.  We need to find out the truth about what happened to these people.  I have to know.  I understand if you can’t allow it.  I don’t want you to lose your job over my actions.”  Kamiya turned her head towards her enforcers and Nakamura saw a tear slip down her cheek as she added words that made Mina tense.  “I understand if you have to turn us in to the chief.”  
  
Mina wasn’t sure her eyes could get any bigger as she stared at Ginoza waiting for his reaction.  She hadn’t even realized she was holding her breath until the man tugged out his pocket square and pushed it easily into Kamiya’s hand.  When the woman inspector turned to look at him again, Mina let out the breath as he asked quietly, “It’s that important to you?”  Kamiya nodded and he frowned deeply, touching her hand to gently remind her of the handkerchief, which she quickly dabbed under her eyes.  
  
Suddenly, Nakamura realized just how much Ginoza favored his partner, and she almost took joy in the fact that there was anything in life that could cause that man to soften.  Until now she had seen him as a purely hateful individual who took no pleasure from anything, but during this moment everyone saw a brief glimpse of a different side of the man.  
  
“I’m not going to turn you over to the chief.  That—that’s going overboard.  I trust you to do what’s best.  Nakamura can have the remains for two weeks.  After that, they have to be out of here or every one of us will lose our jobs.”  
  
“Yesss!” Mina cheered in a whisper.  Ginoza shot her a look and adjusted his glasses, back to looking as stern as ever.  
  
“That’s assuming that no one else on our team has objections to this.  I won’t put you three in danger of losing your jobs,” he said, surprising Mina again as he gestured to his veteran enforcers.  
  
Thankfully, Kougami, Masaoka, nor Kunizuka had anything to add.  After discussing a few more details, the team headed out but not before Nakamura leaned over to Yayoi and whispered, “Is it me or do those two clearly need to fuck?”  
  
  
********  
Kamiya had scheduled a three day weekend for herself, taking the following Monday off.  When asked, she would answer no further than to say “personal reasons,” which Nobuchika found very unlike the woman.  He also found it unusual that despite having found a mass grave that would now require their attention because _she_ had _insisted_ , she was still opting to take the time out of the office.  She had been distant and distracted all day, and Gino thought perhaps the day off would do her some good so he didn’t press for her to continue working.  
  
When he had asked her privately to explain why she’d been so adamant over not turning in the extra remains, she merely responded, “Please forgive me, Inspector.  It’s an extremely personal reason, but I don’t think I’m ready to share it with anyone just yet.  Certainly not today.  Ask me again when I get back from the long weekend, ok?”  
  
It made him uneasy to see her behaving so strangely towards him.  She was usually the one person he could count on to treat him like he wasn’t a nuisance.  
  
Also unlike her, she packed up to leave right on time.  She almost always stayed late, especially on Fridays.  Many times it would be just Kamiya and him in their offices, filling out paperwork and going over cases.  They both liked to leave no loose ends before starting the weekend, and it had become a time that he looked forward to each week.  One would always have a question about paperwork for the other, which would be quickly answered.  That was followed with casual conversation as they took the files upstairs to the chief’s desk and made their way to separate cars.  
  
What Nakamura had said about him earlier that day would normally not have been that far off the mark.  The hyper-focused inspector _did_ generally find sex and relationships to be an enormous waste of time and a potential danger to his psycho-pass.  However, he no longer seemed to be on the fast track at the CID.  Ever since he had begun to question things during the Makashima case, the chief had quickly tired of him and discarded him.  Now his partner appeared to be the new favorite.  Ginoza wasn’t entirely surprised, and not even sure where he stood on the matter.  
  
He wasn’t the type to feel jealous over a woman, and Mina’s words would normally have just rolled off his back.  Now that he didn’t spend as much energy concentrating on impressing the chief, things were different.  More often than not, he fought with himself to control the thoughts of his partner that kept creeping into his mind…thoughts of her naked, sweating, writhing, calling his name.  It shamed him.  She was intelligent and able and respected him as her leader, and all he could picture of her when he was alone were his hands roaming her glorious body.  
  
Kamiya had been right earlier.  It had made him feel a twinge of jealousy to see her flirting with his father, especially when she was familiar enough to kiss his cheek.  He had to stop looking at them as he silently yelled at himself for wanting that innocent kiss for his own.  She was becoming quite important to him for reasons other than desire.  The fact that he still wanted her physically despite that, continued to cause him great frustration.  
  
It had been a long time since Ginoza had felt so relaxed around another person, or that someone had even been able to tolerate his personality so well.  She wanted his company.  She treated him like her friend as well as a co-worker.  Sometimes, on those late Friday evenings together, she actually asked him to wait for her when Chief Kaisei would ask to see her in the office alone.    
  
“I don’t like her,” Kami mentioned one of those times.  “Something about her makes me very nervous.  Can’t you at least wait in our offices until I’m done?”  
  
“I’m not sure what you think will happen to you in there.”  
  
“I’m not sure what I think either.  I can’t get a good read on her and I don’t like it.  Aren’t you supposed to provide back up support, _partner_?” she asked, giving him a simple smile.  
  
“Tch,” he huffed.  “I don’t think this counts as back up, Inspector.  How did you even get promoted this far if you’re scared of Chief Kaisei?”  
  
“I didn’t say I was scared.  I just don’t like her.  I’d rather end my week with a friendlier face.”  
  
“I don’t know who you expect me to go get.  I’m the only person left at the office at this hour.”  
  
“Ginoza, _seriously_?”  
  
“Yes.  You saw everyone else leave before we came up here.”  She had said goodbye to several of them and he worried perhaps she wasn’t feeling alright after not seeming to remember that.  
  
“My God,” his partner groaned as she shook her head and buried her face in her palm.  Looking back up at him with great incredulity, she added, “You.  I meant _you_ , you idiot.  Of course, my partner would be my ‘friendly face!’  I speak to you more than anyone else here, Gino.  Do you really think I find you more off-putting than _that_ woman?  I can’t…I just…”  She let off a frustrated huff.  
  
“No, I just…a ‘friendly’ face?  That’s not a description I’ve ever received.  It wasn’t necessary to make friends with my co-workers to succeed.  Experience has shown me that personal attachments get in the way.  Besides, I don’t tend—”  
  
“Oh,” Kamiya said sounding somewhat dejected.  “I thought we were already becoming friends, Inspector.  I wasn’t aware you found my company so taxing.”  
  
“What?  No.  That wasn’t my point.  It’s that people here find that my dedication grates on th—”  
  
“Good. So then you’re saying you _will_ wait for me?” she interrupted.  
  
“I…o-ok.”  He had no other answer to offer, shocked as he was that she hadn’t already been offended enough to just leave him standing there in confusion.  Ginoza turned out to be glad that he’d said “ok,” because he found that his weekends were indeed better begun just from walking his partner to her car.  That initial response eventually became a prepared, “Back up support, this evening?” and he would wait at the end of the hall by the elevators, enjoying topics irrelevant to police work as they left for the weekend.  Allowing someone to be friendly with him was new and uncomfortable at times, but he was quite enjoying himself.    
  
He had learned more about Kamiya in a few weeks of this pattern than he had about most people in his entire life.  She was talkative with him and he was happy to let her carry most of the conversations.  He knew her favorite books, songs, that she had only ever kept fish as pets (which he found completely ridiculous), that she was allergic to cats and that at one time she had been a dancer.  He wanted to hear more about her dancing, but she had yet to elaborate.  He had hoped it would be soon.  
  
But not today.  Today she would not be headed to see Kaisei or taking extra time for paperwork.  Today she was anxious to get away from CID for whatever reason.  Today she wished everyone a hasty goodbye and was the first of Division One to want out of the office.  Today Gino felt disappointed.  
  
After talking briefly with part of her team outside the HQ doors, the redhead said, "Have a nice weekend, boys," and headed down the long hallway towards the elevator.  
  
Then Ginoza found himself doing it again.  He just couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of his partner for long.  He barely noticed that his father and Kougami were still standing to his left watching exactly the same thing.  
  
Masaoka let out a low whistle, and Gino caught sight of Kougami nodding in agreement.  Kou paused his unlit cigarette just before his lips, and he and the other enforcer shared a knowing glance, sly grins on their faces.  Ginoza made annoyed faces at the pair.  
  
Inspector Kamiya just missed the elevator.  As she leaned to push the button, Inspector Shuichiro from Division Three appeared and pressed it for her.  It was impossible to hear what they were saying from this distance.  He couldn't even try reading their lips with them facing the elevator doors, but Ginoza found himself irritated at the way Shuichiro was clearly fawning over his partner.  The man was married, after all.  Shephard One reminded himself that Kamiya worked in Division Three before being placed with their team.  Her old partner was likely just being friendly, but Gino found it annoyed him either way.  
  
He had let her distract him so much again, that he'd already forgotten he wasn't standing alone.  That is, until the oldest enforcer said, "I'm not sure I've ever seen any that compare to the way that redhead beauty looks in a skirt."  
  
Gino crinkled his nose and furrowed his eyebrows at his father in disgust, "Ugh!  Could you not say that again?  Ever?  You're a filthy old man sometimes."  
  
"Guilty," Masaoka chuckled slightly.  "I don't deny that beautiful women have always been my weakness."  
  
Kougami laughed and said, "Pops, 'weakness' is an understatement, don't you think?"  
  
His father's behavior was making Gino very uncomfortable...or maybe that was due to Kamiya laughing and placing her hand on Shuichiro's arm.  Either way, he scolded, "Both of you cut it out!  Don't let me catch you talking about another inspector that way, got it?"  
  
"Scold all you want, Ginoza, but I'd wager there's not a pair of eyes in this entire building that have been staring after Miss Sass more than yours," the old enforcer added bluntly.  
  
"Watch your mouth, Enforcer!" Gino said as he shot his father a dangerous glare.  A few seconds of silence followed, and Kougami awkwardly excused himself back into the office.  
  
As the elevator's bell dinged and its doors opened, Shuichiro offered Kamiya his arm, and she accepted it onto the lift.  He grimaced as the man obviously leaned back to view his partner’s ass.  "Tch," he huffed, watching her still laughing at whatever their colleague was saying.  
  
"Just don't forget, son," Ginoza shot his father another dirty look as the familiar word left his mouth, but his father continued, "Inspector Kamiya is the type of woman a man notices.  Inspector Shuichiro is not the first to try getting her alone, and I'm sure he won't be the last.  Invite the woman for a drink or something."  
  
"Would you please just stop talking?" Nobuchika begged, as he squeezed the bridge of his nose in his frustration.  Kamiya was facing them now as the elevator doors closed and she noticed the two men still standing outside the office.  She smiled brightly and waved goodbye again.  Only Masaoka returned the wave.  
  
"Suit yourself, Inspector," returned the seasoned ex-detective.  "I know you hate my advice, but you'd be surprised, son," he added as he turned to begin walking back into the office, "what a little time alone with the right kind of woman can do for a cloudy hue."  
  
Ginoza scowled after his father until he was completely through the doors to their office, and then he returned a hopeless gaze to the shut elevator doors. ** _  
  
  
To Be Continued..._**


	8. What They Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-authored by @jolibrix 
> 
> -Mina and Kougami take their pent up stress out on each other on the mats...and in the bedroom.  
> ~Mina remembers more about her family and her people in the Unregistered culture.  
> -We find out more about Ren Kamiya and hopefully the memories won't worsen Erra's hue.

  
Another stressful week, another heated sparring session between Kou and the newest enforcer.  Generally, the pair of them were alone in the matted room.  It seemed they had made people nervous after that initial fight, not that that mattered now.  Things didn’t go overboard like they had during the first match anymore, and the two of them had greatly enjoyed trying to best each other as a means of stress release.  He found that he enjoyed himself more in these moments than he had in a long while, and it seemed to him that she relaxed the most when they fought together.  
  
Pinning her to the mat, he laughed at the thought and stood up.  Satisfied that he had won this round, Kougami began to head to the side of the mats.  His feet quickly left the floor as Mina made a sweeping motion with her leg and dropped him to the ground.  She pinned his back against the mat by sitting on his chest and holding his forearms firmly above his head.  
  
The two of them breathed heavily, eyeing each other for signs of true surrender and flicking their tongues to taste the blood that trickled from busted lips.    
  
 _Hm.  Maybe we do still go a little overboard_ , he thought.  Something about tasting his own blood and watching her heaving above him, tongue running over her mouth, ignited profound desire in him.  
  
Suddenly, Kougami grunted and pushed an arm free, grabbing Mina by the back of her chestnut ponytail and forcing their lips together.  He kissed her passionately and powerfully with the same intensity he had given during the workout.  
  
Pulling away from his lips and shoving his arm back to the mat, Mina shouted, “Who the hell do you think you are?  You can’t just kiss me whenever you feel like it!”  But it seemed fierce passion was driving through her body as well, and she leaned down and captured his lips in hers, matching intensity as she kept him pinned beneath her.  
  
As their tongues continued fighting passionately, Mina loosened her grip and Kougami grabbed her by the hips and slid her down his body so he could feel her against his hardened length.  She lustfully ground against him and he let out a grateful moan before flipping her to her back and returning the favor.  The two unloaded pent up frustrations there on the gym floor for several minutes until they were forced to surface for air.  
  
Breaking the spell, Mina shoved him off of her and backed rapidly to the edge of the mats before standing up and grabbing her gym bag.   
Kougami rose to his own feet and walked over to stop her.  “What are you doing?” he asked, voice irritated at being interrupted.  Clearly she had wanted him moments earlier.  
  
“Keep your hands to yourself, you prick!” Mina shouted before jerking her arm away and heading to the locker room to shower.  
  
Shinya stood watching her leave as he gasped for air and looked on confused as hell.  As his breath slowed, he toweled away some perspiration and lit a cigarette.  Skimming a hand through his sweat soaked hair he sighed, trying to make sense out of what had just happened.  
  
Kougami bypassed the locker rooms altogether and walked straight to his dormitory apartment.  It didn’t bother him in the slightest that he passed random people while he was drenched in his own sweat, torso bare and glistening through the hall.  Finishing his smoke, he entered the warm water of his shower and was grateful for the relief it provided his sore muscles.  Leaning against the shower wall, he closed his eyes and just allowed the water to run over his body.  
 _  
What the hell just happened?_ Kougami thought to himself.  He wasn’t surprised that sparing with Mina had led to where it had.  It was no secret to him that he found her exceedingly attractive and having her coming after him, soaked in sweat, fierce determination in her crystal eyes—how could he not have kissed her?  She seemed to want him as well, but then shut everything down and backed away as if Kou had been something repulsive.  
  
He stepped out of the shower and sat on the end of his bed drying off.  He couldn’t stop picturing the perfect fullness of her lips as he tasted them with his tongue, or the feel of her large breasts pressed against him with only a thin athletic bra to separate their skin.  He shook his head and tried to concentrate on anything other than his hands pulling her hips down and against him.  
  
Wrapping his towel around his waist, Kougami wondered what exactly he did to piss her off so thoroughly.  It seemed he was always managing to anger the young enforcer, especially anytime they were actually getting along.  She was brilliant and inventive and quick on her feet and made detective work more enjoyable for Shinya.  They worked well together and while Kougami found that desirable, Mina seemed to find it irritating beyond belief.  Any time they touched or he had tried to offer her genuine help, Mina would initially accept and then suddenly turn venomous and storm away, leaving Kou feeling like a complete miscreant.  
  
It wholly perplexed the seasoned Enforcer, but it seemed to do nothing to make Mina less attractive.  It made her more confusing and more frustrating, certainly—but that only made Kougami want to know more about the mysterious young woman.  She had done nothing but peak his interest since becoming part of the team.  Her knowledge of literature, martial arts training, randomly speaking some unknown language…it all made him want more and more time with her.   
  
Kougami lit another cigarette and thought to himself how Mina had called him a prick.  Just as he was thinking he had killed his chances with her for a while, there was a knock at his door.  He pulled it open, to find Mina standing there, still looking angry.  He stood aside and motioned for her to enter.  Cigarette hanging limply from his lip as he spoke, Kou asked, “ _Now_ what did I do?”  
  
Mina observed him for a few moments, standing there in nothing but his towel, and even that seemed to make her livid.  Groaning, she stood to her toes and pulled the cigarette from his mouth.  “I don’t like this thing going on between us,” she sneered.  
  
“Um,” Kougami was taken aback and had no idea how to respond to such a blunt statement.  “I’m sorry?” he responded, as if it were a question.  
  
Snuffing out the cigarette, she stared at him coolly for a minute, sighed and pulled him down by the shoulders to her eye level.  Her light blue eyes still looked irritated and Kougami was beginning to feel like she might be about to punch him.  Instead, Mina laced her arms around his neck and gave him one of the most erotic kisses he’d ever experienced.  
  
She pulled back slightly and Kougami responded, “I gotta tell you, I’m really confused about what’s happening here.”  
  
Mina rolled her eyes, arms still wrapped around his neck and said, “Just shut up and fuck me already.”  
  
“Yes, ma’am,” Kougami answered with no hesitation as her lips met back up with his.  Quickly, he removed her shorts, abdomen tightening realizing there were no panties underneath.  It was as easy for him to lift her small frame and press her into his door, as it was for her to knock his towel down to the floor.  
  
Kou was attractive and it wasn’t the first time in his life he’d been in a situation where a woman had come to him for sex, but it was the first time his own sexual tension for someone had built up this heavily.  He braced himself with one hand to the door and the other on her small rounded ass.  She had already been wet in her anticipation and he slid into her so easily that they both released appreciative moans.  Kougami drove into the woman as if he could fuck her right through the wall and she clawed at his shoulders, begging him for more.  Harder.  Faster.  Each of them had only pure lust on their minds and he was thankful for whatever god had brought her there that night.  Being inside of Mina felt instantly addictive for Kougami.  He could not recall the last time he felt this type of release.  
  
She felt so tight and wet and it wasn’t long before he came undone. Standing again for a moment, she pulled him down to his floor after her, saying, “You’re not finished with me yet, Kou.”      
  
“Definitely not,” he said as his orgasm-induced, hectic breathing slowed. He wanted to taste her body and was happy to be ordered to do so. First, he removed her shirt and bra. The man watched as she started to move her hands to cover herself but stopped, closed her eyes for a moment, and threw her arms around his neck, blush rising in her cheeks. Ever since their first sparring match, he had found his attention falling to her chest, and it was satisfying to see that part of Mina without the constraint of clothing.  Kou's hands and mouth moved down her body, exploring, and finally settled on her breasts. .   
  
With his mouth occupied laving her nipple, Shinya moved a hand down her body, noting the dip in her waist, flare of her hip, and soft skin of her inner thigh. His fingers lightly traced the outside of her center before entering her with one digit, noting that she was wet and still sticky with his release. Shinya found the feeling of it to be an erotic reminder of what they had just done against his door. Soon he was curling his fingers inside, all the while watching her face for signs he was doing things correctly.   
  
When Nakamura came, she cried out and tried to buck away from his hand.  Her attempts at slapping his hand away were to no avail.  He held her to the floor by her hip making her ride through it, enjoying the tight clench around his middle and index finger.   
  
Amazingly, he was ready again.  Kou let her recover for a moment, enjoying the little jumps in her muscles, knowing it meant he had done a damned good job.  Rubbing himself against the side of her thigh, he licked her nipples again.  Nakamura, looking sated, messy, and sweaty, pushed him to his back and straddled his hips.  Mina teased for a moment, biting her lip in way that made her seem naughty.  He enjoyed the view of her chest.  Their second time was just as great as the first, and soon, he reached completion filling her again.  
  
As they lay in a sweaty heap on his floor, Mina was the first to move.  She stood and replaced her clothes.  Again, Kougami watched, baffled by her hurry.   
  
Grabbing something from the table, Mina looked down at him as she reached his front door. “I don’t know what this is, and I don’t like it,” she told him again.  Coldly she added, “Stay away from me tomorrow,” while tossing the thing in her hand to the man on the floor.   
  
As Mina exited his apartment for her own Enforcer’s dormitory, Shinya tried to figure out what the hell he had just experienced.  Looking at what he’d just been thrown, Kougami realized it was his pack of cigarettes with the lighter stuffed in the half empty container.  Grateful that she at least recognized he was going to need one of those, Kou lit one and took a long, deep drag.  Laying back against his carpet, he watched as the little tendril of smoke curled lazily towards his ceiling.   
  
Kougami might have been as confused as he’d ever been by a woman, but as he thought about everything this evening had brought him, he let out a soft chuckle and grinned up into the darkness.  
  
Maybe enjoying his life wouldn’t be as an unattainable goal as he thought.  
  
********  
Laying back against her pillows, Mina permitted herself a few minutes to enjoy her afterglow, soreness between her legs, and the sated feeling that came with releasing a profound amount of pent up tension.     
  
Kougami had been much better than expected.  When she had made the firm decision to approach him for sex, hoping to dispel the constantly nagging desire she felt, the assumption had been that he would probably be a selfish partner.  He could get any woman he wanted.  So, why should the man worry about putting forth too much effort?   
  
A quick fuck, and then she would leave... that had been her plan.     
  
But, he had surprised her.  It was something he kept on doing, and it was kind of irritating.  The man's mind questioned everything, which was something she had assumed Sybilites didn't do.  Their book and letter exchange not only revealed a person who was actually disillusioned by the system, but also a man who challenged her world view.  Nakamura hoped she was providing the same quality input for him.     
  
It had been shocking to find him so ready so quickly.  If she had read things correctly, he had been just as enthusiastic about their coupling as she was.  Mina couldn't deny it.  She had thoroughly enjoyed herself, and hated that she already wanted more.  The image of his head thrown back, mouth open, emitting masculine grunts and harsh breath, face a perfect reflection of ecstasy as she rode him, was something that would not leave her mind.  There was a reticence in her to admit that part of the appeal had been to be close to another human being, even if it was short lived.     
  
Realizing she could still smell him on her, faint but definitely there, she let a mantra run through her head.   _You can't go back to him again.  You might get attached.  
_  
Telling herself that the mean words she launched at the frustrating man as she walked out the door would make him stay away, the woman let herself believe it   
would be easier on her end to keep him at an arm’s length.  Those words had been more for her benefit than anything... a reflection of the annoyance she felt for herself.     
  
The driving force that had led her there was distraction.  Nakamura had given in to the attraction she felt toward Kou, needing a diversion from the case and the devastating homesickness that grew worse every day.  
  
Convincing Ginoza to keep the remains had been contingent upon her ability to process them and do it quickly, which caused her no small amount of worry.  The four skeletons that were now residing in her kitchen were the only representatives left to whatever injustice had occurred to bring them to such unceremonious and crude resting places.  Nakamura knew that she was the only choice to examine the bones and speak for the dead.  There was no getting over the fact that all other evidence had been destroyed.  Supposing that Sybil was the logic driven computer society trusted it to be, then it should have taken all the circumstantial evidence into account.  The system could have drawn a blank and then worked from there to figure out the truth.  If the boxes of bones turned out to be Unregistereds, that just added fuel to the fire of her rage.  If that turned out to be the case, every human they uncovered had family and friends who deserved to know the fate of their loved ones.  Mina included herself in that tally.     
  
_What if my mother was in the lot that was incinerated?_ she thought.   _Would I know more if I could remember the last five years?_     
  
The void in her memory caused such anxiety that she avoided thinking about it.  In rehab, after she had given her name and then went silent, they had administered a scan to figure out exactly how old she was.  So much time had been lost.  The little brunette worried that the realistic dreams that had her waking in a cold sweat were actually memories, and if that was the case, then it was understandable that they were blocked out.      
  
Rubbing the small bruise that Kou had left on her hip, trying to hold on to the euphoric feelings that the man had provided, she tried to think about happier things and failed.  She kept on coming back to what she was missing with her people.    
  
This was the week of the Summer Festival.  If she were back home, Mina would be enjoying the food, dancing, music, bonfires, and camaraderie that came with celebrating the heat.  It was a mix of the various cultural practices.    
  
They would jump over bonfires and whoever jumped the highest was considered the luckiest.  Some burned a wooden sculpture carved into the shape of the Kanji for fire.  People would share their alcohol, and it was usually some of the best, made especially for the occasion.  Some cultures would don masks and show off traditional dances.  Her father used to call it a sociological wonder.  Her brother, on the other hand, saw it as the perfect time to find a new boyfriend or girlfriend.  Mina always mingled with every group and enjoyed all of it.    
  
The worst part of being trapped in the CID was being unable to partake in the Festival of Bones.  Her parents had supplied her with the history upon request, answering all her questions to the best of their ability.  It had all started when they were still fleeing aimlessly from Sybil.  A disease swept through the group.   The fatality rate was high, and the illness worked quickly.  Most died within two days, much too quick for them to build a proper quarantine.  So many died that the group had to stop their movement.  The victims of the disease piled up quickly, and after a week, it became apparent that if they wanted to have any type of proper funeral for them, they would have to have a mass service.    
  
In a way, it was something that brought them all together.  They managed to formulate something that appeased all the various cultures.  The geography made it impossible to bury their loved ones, and although many of the group preferred cremation, the fear of drawing too much attention made that particular right impossible.  So, they settled with placing the bodies in a huge series of caves, much like one would in a mausoleum.  Their names were carved into the wall above them, sometimes along with an epitaph.     
  
The group suffered two more waves of the disease and it seemed as though their numbers never grew despite the influx of people fleeing the system.  It was a very hard time for the Unregistereds.  When it passed, everyone moved on, looking for a way to live.    
  
Quickly, it became evident that keeping the dead in one place made it easier to pay respects, and thus, the series of caves came to be the center of their seasonal migratory pattern, and the place where all those that passed away were laid to rest.  It wasn't too long before as a group, they decided to start making a pilgrimage to the sight during the summer solstice.  The living would enter the caves of the dead, grieve, talk, and cry out their lament.  Everyone did it differently.  There was even a group of Islanders (they refused to say _which_ island) who would wash and oil the bones of their dead relatives.  The physical touch seemed to be important to them.  This was why Mina handling bones as a preteen was not an odd sight.  Others wrote letters and burned them in a fire.  Some tied little notes to a tree.  There was no right or wrong way to express sorrow during the Festival of Bones.     
  
After they mourned, the various cultures gathered and celebrated life, theirs and those that had passed.  It was a happy occasion that offset all the heartache.     
Later, after the raids, the missing were included in their rituals.  The grief was the same, and it made sense.  Even though, it was agreed upon, that those that were taken were not considered expired.   
  
It was the only time of year that Mina allowed herself to shed tears and mourn the loss of her family.  The custom made it possible for her to compartmentalize her anguish and move on.  But there was no way of getting there while being jailed by Sybil.  Maybe, it would be possible to find another way to assuage that need to intensely grieve and celebrate once a year.   
  
Sleep that night brought dreams of Kishio.  They were sitting in the CID office that Division One shared, and he looked just as he had when he died.  His face was crushed in on one side, craggy bone pink with blood stuck through bits of skin.  The right side of his head was flat, and the ear was hanging off to the side. The fingers of his right hand were twisted into odd angles, and clear cuts, obvious defensive wounds against a blade, riddled both forearms.  Blood was everywhere.  She talked to him, as though it were normal.  Dream logic was at work, but of course she wouldn't know that until waking.     
  
Her words came out quickly, describing the predicament in which she found herself.  The case came next and her fears regarding it.  And as she spoke, he started coming back together, looking more like himself.  The flat side of his skull started to take on a normal shape, and without her seeing how, the ear was back in place.  The woman described her complete loneliness in the new life she found.  Her memory loss was laid out with the fear of what she was hiding from herself.  When she had paused, Kishio had urged her to continue.  “This will heal both of us, little sister,” he said.  The teeth that had been smashed in were back and made his smile look almost normal.  So, she continued.    
  
She talked of Erra's empathy.  Ginoza was mentioned.  She portrayed him as a man on a tightrope, clinging onto a precarious belief.  Mina talked of Kou and how he was the exact opposite of what they had been taught Sybilites were.  Most of all, the woman detailed their letter exchange, sparring, and the way he seemed to read her.     
  
“In some ways, he is like you big brother: furiously intelligent, strong, kind in the strangest way, and dangerous.  When I see those qualities come out...” she felt tears stream down her face.  “I miss you so much.”  She managed to pull herself together and then say, “I think I did something stupid with Kougami tonight, and I hate that I was so lonely and weak as to...”     
  
The man stopped her, looking almost completely normal again. “Never regret sharing something that connects you to another human being in a good way.  You can't live without that.  I know you, Little Terror.  He seemed to be a good match for your intimacy.  Accept the comfort.”  He smiled, lips back to being full.  The tattoos were back to normal as well, rising up his neck.  “Tell me more about your new friends.  Who is Tetsuo, and what is he like?”     
  
So, she told him about how she first met the nurse, and Kishio laughed.  It came from deep in his belly and made him sound so very alive.  Then she detailed the way her blonde friend smiled and how it had that infectious quality.  Mina recounted the various ways he helped her keep at ease in such a stringent, boxed-in environment.  He had a dark sense of humor, which she liked, and was the only one she had no fear of touching.  Their friendship was turning out to have a lot of physical affection.  It reminded her of how people back home were much more effusive than Sybilites.   
  
“I wish you could meet them, Kishio.  I wish you were here with me.”     
  
“Oh, Little Terror, you care for all of them.  I can see it.  Listen carefully though, one day you will have to....”   
  
When Nakamura woke, try as she might, she couldn't remember the rest of his words.  All she knew was that he had given her advice, and it had been important.  He had commented on all of those she had talked about, and he had warned her of something.  Whether it was one of her many dangerous tendencies or of her closeness to Sybilites, she would never know.     
  
********  
When she started working for the CID, before even being transferred to Division One, Erra had requested this day off from work.  It was a painful day for her and she wanted to be alone.  Six years ago, on this date, she had gotten the news from the PSB representatives that had changed her life.  Her husband, Ren Kamiya was gone.  
  
Ren met Erra when they were seniors at different high schools.  She and his younger sister were both involved in competitive dance through middle and high school.  He was volunteering to work a dance competition when the young redhead took the stage.  She placed fourth in that event, but Ren Kamiya was hooked on her from that moment forward.  He found her in the audience later and left her a note asking her for a date and saying that he was her future husband.  
  
She had no idea who he was and every intention of ignoring it, until she was boarding the bus back to school later and spotted him standing a little ways off, giving her that cheeky, confident smile of his.  She couldn’t resist scribbling down her number and rushing it over to him before leaving.  
  
After that, they basically became inseparable.  
  
Dating was unusual in the Sybil society.  With Sybil matching marriages, it wasn’t necessary, but it was still something people did for fun until their true match was made.  Ren had been confident, however, that he and Erra would be an excellent match from the start.  He was confident to a fault, but he wasn’t wrong in that respect.  They were good together.  
  
Ren supported her career aspirations from the start, even though it meant that they would have to wait awhile before she was ready to start on expanding their little family.  Erra scored top marks on her exams and had the choice of any career path she wanted.  What she really wanted was to become a therapist and discover ways to help people bring their crime co-efficients back from being labeled latent criminals. Two of her family members had spent a good portion of life locked away in a rehab facility, and she wanted to change that outcome for as many people as she could.  She studied and researched endlessly trying to crack the codes with Ren hardly issuing any complaints.  As long as he could return home at the end of his long work day to his fiery redhead and some of her delicious desserts, he was a happy man.  
  
Now, Erra held the last picture the two of them had taken together and smiled wistfully.  All of the baking she’d done to appease her husband’s sweet tooth had earned him a bit of a round belly, but he was quite handsome in her opinion.  He had deep brown eyes that she loved to stare at for hours.  Though he had very close-cut brown hair, he had a full, well-groomed beard.  Then there was that smile…that crooked, confident smile that had won her attention in the first place.  It was the same smile he wore in this last photo of them together and staring it at on that day pained her heart, knowing that shortly after he was just “gone.”  
  
Ren had taken a career working for the Ministry of Welfare as the Chief Territorial Expansion Engineer.  He may not have had lofty aspirations, but he loved his job.  He especially loved checking out new places that hadn’t been developed with the Sybil Scanners.  Erra worried, but his confidence usually put her mind at ease.  
  
One morning, he left for work and never returned.  MWPSB looked for him for a month before they showed up at the doorstep six years ago and just declared him missing.  They had given up and would no longer search for him. She had screamed at the bearers of her bad news, asking how that was possible.  Wasn't Sybil everywhere?  There were no answers.  She had even attempted to request records from the company he worked for.  She wanted to know where he had been and why he had been there.  The results had been disheartening.  The records were sealed due to the nature of the work.  They asked why she would even want to know that information.    
  
“It will just make your hue cloudy.  Let it go,” they advised.  At one point, they said it was likely he had even left the country, but Erra knew her husband would never have done that to her.  He had to be dead in order not to return to her…nothing else would have kept him away.  Thus, her faith in the system was marred, only in the face of the strength and belief she held in her husband.     
  
The investigation and everything about how it was followed was all wrong.  For one thing, no one could even tell her what his last psycho-pass reading had been.  With scanners everywhere, he would have at least run into one on the way to work.  They wouldn't even tell her if he showed up to work that day.  On a whim, she had tried to look up recent records concerning Ren using her therapist's ID.  Outside of very basic data, there was no information.  It was as though he had been erased.  When the missing info was mentioned to the powers that be, they simply stated that that happens sometimes when someone is declared missing or deceased.  The answer was unacceptable, and she knew it was bull shit.     
  
At that point, she had considered bringing it up to those who had been in charge of the investigation, but her instinct was that it would lead to nothing.  Something like this was bound to be coming down from the top offices at the PSB.  
  
She decided that she had to know what had truly happened.  She would find out for herself.  With the scores she had received in high school, it was easy to be allowed to take the test again and earn herself a spot training to become a CID investigator.  Kamiya was intelligent, capable, and driven.  Her place in the CID was cemented within just a few months of training.    
  
It had been a bit of a shock that the system _allowed_ her that career path.  She felt sure that whatever happened to Ren would block her getting a job with the CID.  Her paranoia over Sybil was making her see obstacles that were never encountered.  Figuring that this was the closest she would ever come to answers and justice, she bided her time and took any opportunity for advancement that appeared before her.  If she could just work herself towards the top of the PSB, maybe she could find the hidden files or ask someone in the upper levels of the ministry.  It was no guarantee, but she couldn’t sit idly by and do nothing.  That was much too painful an option.  
  
The memories spent the day assaulting her mercilessly.  Erra thought being alone would help her make it through the day, but it turned out to be even more depressing to stay at home by herself with photos of her and Ren during their marriage on the walls.  In the afternoon, she decided that she needed to be anywhere but their house.  Wanting something that would still offer familiarity, she got in the car and rode the hour it took to get downtown at the CID tower.  Being at work had been oddly comforting the last year or so that she’d been an inspector, so just being there helped.    
  
She didn’t want to face her co-workers that day, so taking an elevator on a completely separate side of the building, Erra made her way to the leisure floors looking for an abandoned corner and a much needed drink.  Sitting in the back booth of one of the more popular bars, she slowly began downing glass after glass of bourbon, reflecting miserably on her loss.    
  
She imagined Inspector Ginoza seeing her like this at the dig site they had been at a few days ago and laughed.  It was ridiculous how inept he could be about some things.  She started to miss the way he took her mind off the intense pain she suppressed daily, and she wanted her friend.  She was falling apart and she needed comfort, even if it was from an awkward man such as her partner.  Then she got angry at herself for thinking about the inspector and actually feeling a brief moment of reprieve.    
  
How dare he intrude on her private thoughts today!  She shouldn’t have been thinking about him at all, she thought.  Friend or not, Kami felt only one man deserved to be on her mind today.  This was Ren’s day.  
  
Desperate to keep her mind focused on her husband, she ordered another glass of whisky and began softly singing their wedding song to herself.  
  
 ** __  
To Be Continued...**


	9. Unexpected Tenderness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginoza finally makes the decision to ask Kamiya out for dinner or drinks, but finds his partner in mourning & in quite a distressed state while inebriated.
> 
> Erra begins recognizing that she has started developing more than just a simple attraction for the strict inspector and isn't sure what to do with her new feelings.
> 
> Mina and Erra finally sit down for some girl talk and begin forming the bonds of friendship

  
The MWPSB offered many perks to their employees.  One of them was that its main building housed many leisure and entertainment establishments exclusive to personnel; gyms, bars, restaurants, theaters, arcades, even small convenience stores.  Inspectors for the CID especially liked to frequent these useful hotspots, and Ginoza thought there was a chance he might find Kamiya at one of them, despite it being her day off.  It was much cheaper for members there than it was to go elsewhere.  He had decided that if he did find the inspector, he would allow that to serve as reason enough to ask her to dinner or drinks.  
  
Though he was not a big drinker himself, the careful rule-follower was well aware that the place most off-duty inspectors could be located was the bar on the fourth floor.  After taking the elevator down a few floors and walking past the general bustle of MWPSB employees looking to let off some steam, Ginoza made his way into the bar.  
  
Through the fog of stale smoke and smell of alcohol he walked, passing groups of friends enjoying an evening out or wearied loners drowning sorrow for another day.  Between clipped conversations and laughter, he caught pieces of a beautiful melody floating softly to his ears.  The voice had a pleasingly familiar tone and as Ginoza searched for its source, he spotted a shock of long auburn hair facing away from everyone in the back corner booth.  
  
Ginoza felt mesmerized as he neared the sound of Erra’s song and began to feel nervous about asking her for time alone with him.  He had never seen her hair cascading straight down her back and marveled at just how long it really was.  Even when she unbraided her locks at the end of a long work day, the red tresses weren’t this length.  Kamiya’s hair took on a heavy crimp after being in a braid all day, every day and-- Ginoza found it strange that he was suddenly thinking so much about this woman’s hair.  
  
Shaking his head as Nobuchika was almost upon her, he heard an unmistakable quiver in the gently humming voice.  He paused as he realized she was crying while she sang.  Feeling slight panic, he began to back away, not wanting to intrude on whatever it was that she was dealing with.  Not paying attention, he ran into a bar stool and knocked it over.  The whole place stopped and looked at him briefly, before he replaced it.  Most eyes had returned to whatever it was they had been doing, but when Gino’s eyes flicked to Kamiya, he froze.  Those tear-filled teal eyes he was hoping not to see were now trained on him.  
  
When their eyes met, his newest partner scoffed and added most unhappily, “ _Of course_ it’s you.  Why wouldn’t it be today?”  Ignoring her venom, Ginoza approached cautiously, as if she were some dangerously wild animal.  His head told him to get out of the situation, but his feet led him to her and those weepy eyes.  He was feeling a strange and overwhelming need to be the one that stopped those tears.  
  
“May I?” he asked, gesturing to the bench on the other side of the booth.   
  
There was a long pause on his partner’s part before she groaned and said, “I don’t know, Inspector.  I’m not in the mood to play,” she wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her oversized gray sweater.  “I really don’t think I can handle one of your lecture sessions on how shitty my drinking choices are for my stupid hue.  Certainly not today, anyway.”  
  
Ginoza was surprised.  She was normally so composed and seemed like someone so together, which he found extremely appealing, but tonight she seemed vulnerable and like she was barely hanging on.  Her taunting words were there, but none of the playful sarcasm he was becoming fond of more all the time.  He was worried about what might have happened to throw her off her general game.  Nobuchika found that it made him exceedingly uncomfortable to witness her raw emotions, but he also found something stunning about Erra in this moment—something real and captivating.  He felt almost like she was showing herself for the first time, instead of hiding behind the taunts.  
  
As he held up two fingers to get a server’s attention, he pointed to Kamiya’s nearly empty drink signaling they would need a couple more of what she’d been having.  He adjusted his glasses and assured her, “No lectures today.  It’s your day off.  Surely, even I’m not _that_ offensive.”  
  
She put her face into her hands and let a few more silent tears escape, while Ginoza waited awkwardly for the drinks to arrive.  It seemed she couldn’t bother to contradict his statement today.  He debated over not speaking again, but ultimately he found the quiet crying too unbearable not to interrupt.  
  
As the server placed down their glasses and left, Ginoza casually said, “I wasn’t aware that you had a singing voice like that.”  He was careful not to add the word ‘beautiful’ to his sentence like he wanted.  
  
Erra looked up to meet his serious green eyes.  It was impossible for him to see that her cheeks had tinged with pink since her face was terribly flushed and splotchy from crying.  Seeing her so upset did something to his chest.  It felt tight with anxiety while he wished for some answer on how to fix her.  He wanted there to be a problem with a clear cut solution… something he could have easily mapped out in his head.  
  
“No one was supposed to hear,” she whispered.  Taking her glass in her hand, she remorsefully replied, “I guess I’ve had too many to notice I was doing it out loud.”  She tried to get her taunting back, but it just came across as wounded and angry, “Wanna scold me, Ginoza?”  
  
He suddenly felt guilty for his strict and uptight behavior around his colleagues.  It wasn’t a feeling he was accustomed to.  “Why would you hide that talent?  Afraid of being caught?  It’s not like you were sitting here performing with an unauthorized band.  I thought you sounded—rather nice.”   
  
His words caused Kamiya to stare at him in confusion.   _Had he really just offered a compliment to someone?_  Realizing he may have been too forward, he looked away.  “You really weren’t that loud, anyhow,” Ginoza tried to assure her as he took a sip of his liquor.  
  
Erra’s wet blue-green eyes stared at him for a moment longer and then spoke in a rather snappy tone, “No one was supposed to hear because it was his and mine.  That song was only for _him_.”  She took her drink and threw it back in entirety before putting her head down against the table.  
  
Ginoza felt a mix of disdain and jealousy at the statement.  ‘Him.’  Surely she wasn’t the kind of woman sitting in a bar pining over some failed relationship.  It was very different from how he saw the put-together inspector.  He quickly reminded himself, however, that she was a real woman with a real life and not his fantasy that kept appearing in his dreams.  Then there was a pang of jealousy that there must be a man she felt very passionately about, and it wouldn’t be him.  He silently cursed his father for putting him up to something so foolish.  
  
“Lost love,” he said with a hint of contempt.  His tone caused her to shoot him a dangerous warning glare.  Not known for his charming manner, he continued, “And where is this delightful lover now?”  As soon as he said it, he regretted it.  Ginoza suddenly realized only one outcome would have so affected the typically complete professional that he had become so infatuated over.  
  
“He’s dead,” she said flatly, eyes not bothering to look in his direction.  Ginoza swallowed thickly.  This was definitely not the situation he had expected to find himself in this evening.   
  
Kamiya’s eyes looked heavy with drunken exhaustion and sorrow as she added, “Today is—“ her long pause set Gino on edge, “it’s the anniversary of when my husband went missing.  Six years now.  I know they’ve killed him.  I know Ren’s dead.”  Her head fell back to rest on the table and barely audible sobs were muffled by its surface.  
  
Ginoza’s thoughts were racing, spiraling around in his mind like a storm.   _Husband?_  Did she even know what she was saying?  Surely this wasn’t something she had mentioned that he had simply misheard, not when he unintentionally hung from her every word.  How could he not have known she had been married?  He realized now why she so fixated over the ring on her index finger.  It had simply been moved from its original place.   
  
It would have made him a better man and detective if ‘killed’ had been the word that most upset him, but that word had most definitely been ‘husband.’  He felt that any chance of pursuing her would be useless and somehow immoral, if her heart still belonged to a lover torn too soon from her side.  
  
As he switched gears and took in exactly what she had said, he found it more attractive that she had been through such a trauma and still maintained such a clear hue.  That was an impressive feat, to say the least.   _“What the hell is wrong with you, asshole?”_ he thought hatefully to himself.  He may well have found it remarkable and sexy, but now was not the time to focus on that.   
  
He listened to her mumbling over her husband’s death and the hatred for the people that murdered him and suddenly realized she was in danger.  She was vulnerable.  She was intoxicated.  She was in mourning.  If she kept at this, her hue would surely be flagged.  Nobuchika could not allow that to happen again.  He would not lose another partner.  
  
He moved into the seat next to Erra and placed a hand on her shoulder.  She looked up at him pitifully.  Leaning down so no one could hear, Ginoza whispered against her ear, “Please let me take you home, before this goes too far and Sybil flags you.  You don’t want to get picked up over this, do you?”  
  
The inspector shook her head while looking around nervously.  She ran her hands over her eyes to clear the tears and quietly commanded herself, “Focus.”  Ginoza slid out of the seat and held his hand down to the wrecked widow.  She used it to steady herself as she pulled across the bench to stand beside the booth.   
  
Ginoza noticed that Inspector Kamiya was shorter than usual.  Normally, she wore low black heels with her dress suits, but today she had on little gray flats.  As she began walking for the door, barely maintaining a steady stance, Gino told the server to add all the drinks to his tab and followed after her.  Walking behind, his eyes flicked to her bare shoulder as her sweater drooped off to its side and the tight, teal skinny pants she was wearing.  He scolded himself again.  He found his attraction to Kamiya was becoming more and more inconvenient by the minute.  
  
Erra exited the bar and turned to the left.  He shook his head in amusement, placing one hand on the small of her back and the other on a shoulder as he turned her to head towards the elevators in the opposite direction.  He felt light tingling run through him at the intimate positioning of his hands as they gently guided the broken woman to safety.  
  
Entering the elevator, Kamiya grabbed the support bar while Ginoza pushed the buttons for the underground parking lot.  As the elevator lurched into its decent, it threw Erra off balance and she teetered into Nobuchika.  She apologized and pushed off of him, missing the support bar and leaning right back into him again.  
  
“It’s alright, Kamiya,” he said as he steadied her against his side and tried not to laugh.  His amusement was quickly replaced with nervous energy as Erra leaned her ginger head against his chest.  The red tresses were a stark contrast against his jet black suit.  His abdomen tightened and he tried to suppress feeling aroused by the vanilla scent of her hair.  She was breathing slowly and deeply, as if she might actually be asleep where she stood.  Gino forced himself to stare straight ahead instead of at the generous view of cleavage that his height provided.  She lurched forward a little as the elevator came to its stop.  
  
Steadying her again, he said, “I’ll have to drive you, Inspector.  You’re certainly in no shape to operate a vehicle.”  She looked annoyed but didn’t argue.  He wasn’t sure if it was because she was drunk or because too much had been taken out of her by this day, but the stern inspector was glad to avoid being berated by Kami’s generally snarky demeanor.  
  
Arriving at his car, he shielded her head as he helped her settle into the passenger seat.  Once he was inside the car himself, he marveled at how quiet she was being— both of them for that matter.  The pair could barely accomplish anything without hurling sardonic insult at one another.  Because neither had the heart to muster such words this evening, they stayed nearly silent as he exited the garage.  
  
“Where is your apartment?” he asked.  The answer she gave surprised him.  “You commute an hour every day?  That’s ludicrous.  You know an apartment near HQ would be a great deal more efficient, right?”  
  
She turned her head to stare out the window.  Erra really wasn’t in the mood to deal with his patronizing.  “It’s fine,” she answered.  “I don’t expect you to drive me all the way out there.  That’s too much of a burden this late at night, Inspector.”  She sighed and requested, “Just take me to a nearby hotel.  I’ll be fine until morning.”  
  
Ginoza said nothing but he didn’t believe her.  She was definitely not fine.  A public place like a hotel would have Sybil scanners all over it.  There wasn’t a chance he would deposit her alone somewhere in this state.  He absolutely would not allow yet another partner to be taken out by the system.  
  
The car stopped only a few minutes later and Kamiya looked confused.  “This isn’t a hotel,” she noted.  
  
Walking around and helping her exit the car, Ginoza replied, “No, it’s my apartment building.”  
  
Her eyebrows raised and she stared at him with genuine surprise.  Though Erra was inebriated, she recognized at once the compassion he was trying to offer her.  Still, she couldn’t help diffuse how awkward his kindness felt.  “Your apartment—?  Nobuchika!  I didn’t think you had it in you to take advantage of a co-worker!  You’re turning into a regular Masaoka,” she taunted.  
  
“Tch,” he scolded as he frowned at Erra.  He was thankful she was too tipsy and it was too dark to notice his blush.  “Don’t get cocky at a time like this, Kamiya.”  
  
After making their way to his apartment, he told Erra that he would be happy to sleep on the couch and she could have his bed for the night.  The pair argued over this, but in the end it was Ginoza who refused to back down.  
  
He walked to the bathroom to set out towels and other conveniences in case she wanted a shower in the morning or before he woke.  As he walked back into the bedroom, he heard Sybil’s standardized personal A.I. Candy finishing a familiar phrase and blushed furiously as he stumbled upon Kamiya in only a beige colored bra and lacy tan underwear.  
  
He turned rapidly as he choked out, “Why would you turn off the holo-wear before I was out of the room?”  
  
She laughed softly and he heard the blankets being pulled back on his bed.  “One, you _were_ out of the room and two, what’s the big deal?  This is how I sleep.  Actually, I don’t like a top on at all.”  He still faced away from her and she laughed again, “The bra shows less than my swimwear!  They’re only breasts, Ginoza.  Don’t be such a prude all the time,” Kami teased.  
  
He turned around to argue and actually felt slightly disappointed that her bottom half was now beneath covers in the bed.  “I’m not a prude. I’m trying to show you some respect,” he countered as he desperately tried to keep his eyes to hers.  
  
She lifted her eyebrow and taunted again saying, “Oh ho.  Not a prude, hm?  Then I suppose you’re perfectly comfortable unclasping my bra for me?  It gets more difficult when I’ve been drinking.”  She stood from the bed, back to Ginoza, but head turned, daring him with her smirk.  He clenched his jaw and felt like he was suffocating at the sight of flesh colored lace barely covering the perfect ass he’d been staring after all this time.  The length of her unusual strawberry hair stretched straight down to the dimple at the small of her back and only fixed Ginoza’s eyes further on Erra’s rear.  The fact that it was better than he had imagined seemed absurdly unfair.   
  
Directly behind her now, his hands reached for Kamiya, but it was her shoulders where they came to rest. He turned her around and looked sternly into her drunken teal eyes.  “No,” he admitted.  “I’m not comfortable with it—not today, Kamiya.”  The playfulness on her lips disappeared as she understood his meaning.  
  
This day was about her lost husband.  There was no way Ginoza would do anything to jeopardize their partnership when she was in such a susceptible state.  He knew she had faced great trauma.  He knew her heart was broken.  He knew she was barely holding herself together, and he would be appalled with himself if he tried to turn the focus of her excruciating day to him instead of to her husband where it belonged.  “You need rest.  Let me help you get to sleep, Kamiya.  I can do that much, at least.”  
  
“Gino,” she replied softly, her face clearly showing how unexpected she found his attempt at consoling her.   
  
A great sob escaped her throat as she shouted at him, “They killed him!  He’s dead!  I know he’s dead!” and Kamiya’s wailing overcame her as her body collapsed towards the floor.  Nobuchika clutched her slipping form against him and sank to the ground carefully, keeping her from hurting herself.  “Let go of me!” she shouted as she pushed forcefully away from her partner.  Her face melted from rage into pure devastation, and instead she grabbed the lapels of Gino’s suit jacket and pulled herself into a ball next to him, sobbing heavily against his white dress shirt.  
  
For a moment, Ginoza wasn’t sure what to do for her and held his hands up and away.  Slowly, as her sobs ripped at his heart, he slipped his arms around her bare back and clutched her tightly.  He swept her long auburn locks over her shoulder and let his hands rest against the soft skin.  As Kamiya cried, Gino put his chin against her hair and held her to him safely, completely encompassing her with his safe embrace.  She sobbed for quite some time and Ginoza sat firm, determined to let her anchor to him as long as she required.  If this would clear Kami’s hue, keeping her from ending up a latent criminal, he would be more than willing to do this one small thing.  
  
Finally, her sobbing ceased and she felt heavy in his arms.  Assuming Erra had finally fallen asleep, Ginoza held her tighter still as he stood to lift her into his bed.  Sliding her under his thick blankets and pulling them around her, Nobuchika turned to leave, but felt a tug on his sleeve.  When he looked down at Kamiya, her eyes were closed.  She wouldn’t look at him, but she didn’t release him either.  Exhausted from the unexpected turn of events, dying to go to sleep, Ginoza crouched to the bedside and waited.  He waited another half hour, at least, with her fingers gripping onto him for comfort until they relaxed and he stood once more.  
  
His knees throbbed.  His back was sore.  His whole being was drained.  As he looked down at Kamiya’s finally peaceful face, he felt a flicker of light that it had been worth it; that she would wake her normal self and that he would finally have helped to comfort one of his aching and tortured partners.  He tossed his suit jacket, tie, and dress shirt over the back of a chair.  He untucked his undershirt and made his way to the living room.  The throbbing in Ginoza’s bones all but disappeared as he collapsed onto his sofa and passed out, his accomplishment tugging gently at his lips.  
  
********  
Waking the next morning, Erra found herself only slightly disoriented before knowing exactly where it was she lay.  Standing to locate her unexpected guardian, she poked her head out of the bedroom and saw her partner’s long form asleep on the couch.  A gorgeous Siberian husky was curled below him on the floor.  Kamiya bent to scratch the dog’s ears and whispered, “You must be Dime.”  It was one of the very few personal things Gino had ever discussed with his newest detective.  For some reason, it made her laugh to know that one of his hobbies included dog training.  It also made her feel an unexpected warmth towards her partner.  
  
Looking up at Inspector Ginoza’s face, she was amused to see he had fallen asleep with his glasses still on.  Gently, she removed them and placed them silently on his coffee table.  She suddenly felt a surge of compassion for this straight-laced, crabby man asleep in front of her and smiled.  What he had given of himself the previous night was something she had never expected from him, and she began feeling something stronger than co-workers should feel.  
  
It had become so unusual for her to feel her real emotions that she quickly shifted gears to the superficial, noting how strikingly handsome his features really were.  His jawline, his full lower lip, his slender nose, and stunningly almond shaped eyes…Erra noted that his lashes were so black and so long, it almost looked as if he were wearing eyeliner.  The strict Inspector Ginoza looked almost like a kind little boy as he slept.  She tenderly brushed black hair from his eyes and placed a chaste kiss to his forehead, while whispering, “So much for the big bad detective.”  
  
Erra stood to head to the shower and felt certain that a pair of eyes followed her body as she left the room, but when she looked back to the man, he seemed exactly the same as a moment before.  
  
After showering and having the Candy A.I. system at Gino’s dress her for work, Kamiya braided her long red hair out of the way and began preparing a breakfast as a thank you.  When Ginoza emerged from his shower, he looked genuinely surprised to find that she had actually cooked instead of using the food machines.  “You didn’t have to do this,” he said flatly.  
  
She faltered a moment before answering.  The familiar, sexy scent of his aftershave, fresh on his skin, was stronger than at work and overwhelmingly distracting.  “Of course, I didn’t,” Erra responded as she gave him a gentle smile.  “That’s what makes it special.  Now, if you don’t eat it, I’ll assume that means you won’t forgive me for my appalling behavior last night, which will make work fairly uncomfortable.  I’ll be forced to embarrass you until you accept my apologies.”  
  
Gino gave Kamiya a reprimanding look and she noticed how beautiful his eyes were…and somehow familiar.  As he picked his glasses up from the coffee table and positioned them on his face, he replied, “Just watch yourself from now on, ok?  I don’t feel like cleaning up after yet another partner.  It seemed you were the one in an embarrassing situation, anyhow.”  
  
Erra scoffed and smirked at his returning rotten attitude.  “That is certainly true, but I don’t fluster as easily as you, _Nobuchika_ ,” she said casually, grinning like a Cheshire cat when he flinched and looked away at her use of his first name.  As she set a plate in front of him, she halved the omelet on her own plate and scraped it in front of Dime on the floor.  
  
“Leave it,” Ginoza commanded his dog.  Dime dutifully obeyed and moved to sit beside his master's chair.   
  
Giving him an annoyed once over, she scolded, “Come on, Gino! It’s half an egg.”  
  
“I would appreciate it if you would not spoil my dog, Inspector Kamiya,” he replied curtly.  
  
“Surely you can call me Erra after last night,” she responded.  Knowing it would ruffle his feathers, the childish redhead added, “I mean, you _were_ holding my mostly naked body in your _bedroom_.”  
  
Blushing furiously, Ginoza adjusted his glasses and turned his head.  “Absolutely not!  First names would be much too unprofessional!”  
  
“Kami, then?” she asked as he spared her another glance.  “Or I might have to let it slip that you took me home with you while I was quite under the influence,” Erra taunted.  
  
Exasperated, Nobuchika huffed and said, “We’ll see.  I’ll give it a try.  It still seems awfully informal.”  
  
“Go on, then,” Kamiya prompted as her teal eyes shone with mischief.  “Try it now.”  
  
Blushing again and looking miserably uncomfortable, Ginoza said, “Please don’t give my dog breakfast scraps in the future— Kami.”  
  
Now it was Erra’s turn to blush.  She was sure it wasn’t intentional but his ‘in the future’ comment implied that he had anticipated her joining him in his apartment for breakfast again.  She looked away, too flushed to meet his eyes and teased, “Aye-aye, chief!” but shot him a side eye as she muttered, “even if it was only half an egg.”  
  
Nobuchika raised his eyebrow at her and pursed his lips.  Keeping his stellar eyes fixed on hers, he silently gave Dime the release command, allowing his husky to eagerly gulp down the rare scrap.  Kami smiled happily at the pleased pup, and her grin increased as she caught the smile tugging on Gino’s lips while he watched his dog enjoying a treat.  Watching the joy he took in his pet did something to utterly melt her.  Again, it surprised her to be feeling any type of real positive emotion.  
  
Kamiya wasn’t sure how she had spent the previous day mourning her husband and today found her heart fluttering for the first time in years.  As the two headed into the HQ and Gino said to her, without a trace of scorn, “Please, let me know if you feel overwhelmed today, Insp— Kami,” Erra felt she might not make it through her work day keeping her controlled emotions intact.  
  
Kamiya felt very off her usual game and spent most of the morning hoping no one had noticed.  There had been more than generous opportunity for her to take the endless lead-ins to teasing that Ginoza’s asinine comments always left her, but she found herself choking every time.  The ginger woman even tried flirting more with Kou and Pops, hoping it would help.  Instead she would get distracted over how Gino’s mannerisms actually made her feel, and it became a little overwhelming.  She considered saying something to her partner about feeling ill, sure he would allow her to leave early knowing what she’d been through the previous day.  
  
Erra fiddled with her wedding band more than usual and wondered what Ren would think of her if he saw how she’d become.  Would he scold her for feeling real attraction for another man, or would it be because she had taken so long?  She could almost hear him laughing that anything as simple as this could make _his wife_ so bashful…not his temperamental redhead.  
  
Erra decided to take the chance.  It wasn’t as if she was committing to anything.  She watched as Masaoka said something quietly to the Inspector.  Ginoza rolled his eyes and frowned.  Kami found the sight of him pouting marvelous.  As the old enforcer excused himself, she twisted her ring again with her thumb and stepped over to her partner.  
  
“Inspector,” she began, but was cut of immediately.  
  
“Would you consider getting a drink after work sometime?”  Ginoza had asked as if it was all one word.  Kamiya’s eyes grew in surprise, and he slowed down to add, “With me?  I meant.”  She couldn’t find her voice for a moment.  “Friends do that right?  When you’re feeling up to it, of course…Kami.”  
  
Everything in Erra’s head told her to say something smart as usual.  His awkward stumbling around the question gave her ample ammunition.  
  
“I think I’d really enjoy that, Detective,” she smiled.  
  
********  
Three days later, Mina was spending the morning feeling more insecure than normal.  She watched as Yayoi had her “who cares” attitude, and was slightly jealous of the way that Inspector Kamiya was confident enough in herself to flirt openly with whoever felt like it.  She also found that she was a little envious of the other women’s clothes.  Maybe it was because she had spent her previous day off in her usual ensemble and had received many strange looks from passerby.  It wasn’t that the clothes were necessarily her style…she had grabbed the greatly oversized plaid shirt and ratty pants from the lost and found bucket at the rehab.    
  
She had never really cared about the clothes she wore and it wasn’t something Mina ever thought about until she found herself surrounded by the professionals everywhere in this city.  Her clothing made her feel severely out of place.  She considered lighting everything on fire, forcing the need for something different, but she found herself alone in the break room, as Inspector Kamiya walked in.  For once, when the therapist-by-nature approached her leaving the food line, she actually openly responded, without being obstinate.  
  
“I do have some questions for you today, Inspector,” replied Mina to the redhead’s usual question.  
  
The tall woman took a moment to hide her surprise before walking to get to the end of the serving queue.  “That’s wonderful, Nakamura!  Can I call you Mina?”  
  
“Please do,” was the reply.  
  
“Let me grab my lunch and I’ll join you,” said the inspector, seeming fairly excited to finally sit down with her unusual enforcer.  
  
Mina found and empty table and sat down, eyeing her food with distrust.  That was one thing she really missed about home…the food.   Some research had led her to finding out that majority of the food was made from hyper oats.  They may have called it food, but in her eyes, it might as well have been cardboard.  Even her brother's shoddy cooking was better than this.  A mental list of things she needed to ask about had been getting longer and longer since her arrival.  This time she added 'procuring real food' to it.     
  
Just when she worked up the nerve to place one tasteless bite in her mouth, the seat in front of her screeched and Inspector Kamiya sat down heavily.  Erra gave a genuine smile while asking, “So, how do you feel like your adjusting has been?”  With the question Kamiya took a huge bite of whatever her cardboard concoction was pretending to be.  The woman didn't even grimace, and Nakamura felt like giving her a medal.     
  
“I don't know,” she responded gloomily.  “Horribly” was the honest response, but if she made it seem like she was too much of an outcast, there was always the possibility of being sent back to rehab.     
  
“You don’t know…or you’re afraid to say?”  The inspector was getting right to the point.     
  
“The latter, I suppose,” Mina answered truthfully.  She wasn’t sure why, but the woman in front of her was giving off such a friendly aura and Nakamura began opening up.  “I don’t think I belong here, Inspector, but I’m terrified of spending the rest of my life in the facility.”  
  
“Wow,” said her boss.  Mina watched as the redhead raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.  “You jumped right to the worst possible outcome, huh?”  Nakamura frowned.  “Let’s just start with the questions you wanted to ask me earlier.  I’ll save ‘destroying your life’ for the next session.  Deal?”  
  
The teasing grin on her face was too much.  Mina realized that she had come off a little intense for a casual conversation, and she laughed heartily at Kamiya’s joke.  “Deal.  Sorry.  I guess I came on kind of extreme.”  
  
“Well, let’s start again, shall we?” she requested.  She stuck her hand across the table and the little brunette grabbed it, both smiling as they shook.  “My name is Erra Kamiya, and I don’t have any friends at work.  I was hoping you might be interested.  There.  Now we’re even.  How was that for extreme?”  
  
Nakamura’s mouth fell open slightly.  It was hard to believe that could be an honest confession, but she saw on the ginger’s face that it was true.  Suddenly, she felt a much closer connection to the inspector, realizing maybe she wasn’t the only misfit on the team.  After that, talking to the woman came quite naturally.  
  
********  
Erra found herself conversing with Mina easily, and soon they veered away from less professional things with the ease of good friends.  While Ginoza had warned her not to get too close, she saw the pros and cons of both.  Kamiya knew that for her partner and most other people in this society, empathizing was a dangerous emotion that _did_ pose real risk to a cloudy psycho-pass, but it had never been an issue for her.  It came naturally and was a big part of the reason she was able to control her own hue so well.  So the cons for her were that getting close meant risking having to shoot a friend, but since she had already shot Mina, it seemed like something a friendship could handle.  She said as much and the two of them shared a laugh over the instance.  Staying away meant losing out on friendship but more importantly, it made things tense and their division less cohesive than it could be at its best.  
  
Ultimately, having a friend at work seemed very appealing.  Since her husband's disappearance, Kamiya had found it hard to keep friends.  Part of it was her obsession with becoming an inspector and part was that she found it difficult to relate to the average population who never questioned Sybil.    
  
She shared the same sense of humor as Nakamura.  They moved from talking about clothes with Mina begging her to help find better outfits, which Erra found amusing, to joking about people's personality quirks in the office.     
  
“I absolutely loathe how he taps that pencil on his desk.  I just want to grab it out of his hand and break it…but not just break it…break it, light it on fire, and flush the ashes down the toilet,” Erra said, referring to Kougami's habit of tapping out drum beats on his desk.     
  
“I would pay to see that.”  Mina let out a small chuckle.  “I can't stand the way that Inspector Ginoza keeps on tidying his already tidy work space.  It kills me.  I have the urge to go over there and actually make a mess, just to see what would happen.  I'm pretty sure he would spit bats over it.”   
  
“Yeah, he would flip his lid for sure,” the redhead agreed.  She had noted that Mina had a strange turn of phrase every so often.  It was something she meant to ask about, but intuitively knew that it would put the woman on guard.  It could wait until later.  
  
“Speaking of the men that work in this place…” began Mina while raising an eyebrow.  
  
“Please tell me you’re saying I'm not the only one who has noticed the high concentration of attractive men in this place?”  Erra said conspiratorially.  Mina was opening up to her, and it was nice.  She couldn't remember the last time she talked like this with a friend.     
  
“You most definitely are not!” Mina responded.  The brunette was shaking her head.  “I mean, at first I thought it was just our division, but it isn't.  Have you seen the head nurse?”     
  
“It is out of control, and yeah, I've noticed Nurse Seki.   The guy tells some really dark jokes though, and it's kind of off-putting.”  The head nurse was very striking in appearance, and he seemed like a very nice guy, but he wasn’t the man she’d been thinking of virtually non-stop for the last three days.    
  
“He just has gallows humor.  It isn't too bad.  I think he's sweet.”  Mina was blushing.     
  
“I have to admit, though, that our division seems to be just....” Erra couldn't find words to describe it.  To her, all of them were gorgeous.  “Even Pops is kinda hot, which is ridiculous because he’s so much older than me.  Something about his mannerisms…and his flirting game is just completely…”     
  
“Hell, I know!  I don't care if he is older than me, I would consider it.”  She paused and seemed to consider her next words.  “You and Yayoi are really hot too.  I can't walk down the hall without hearing about your ass, specifically.  You’d be surprised how often it comes up.”  
  
Erra blushed.  She wasn’t surprised actually, but she was embarrassed that people talked so openly about her appearance that it was a topic throughout the building.  Sensing she was uncomfortable, Mina moved to another question.  
  
“Speaking of a strong flirting game—I have a question that might be a little out of line, but I just _have_ to know.”  
  
Feeling a little nervous over her enforcer’s phrasing, she replied, “Go for it."  
  
“I've noticed that you have no problem talking to men, and you seem to be really good at flirting.  I feel like I’m terrible at it.  I noticed the last few days you and Kougami have been paying a lot of attention to each other.  Do—do you and Kougami have a thing going on now?”    
  
Mina looked really awkward and played with her unfinished food, and Erra wanted to laugh.  Nakamura continued, “I mean, I know you guys are supposed to keep your distance and stuff, but I was curious because you guys seem to talk a lot, and he certainly doesn't mind the attention.  Hell, what man would?”    
  
Mina seemed to be fishing for information, and Erra knew why.  Besides Kami being naturally intuitive, Masaoka had seen Kou pull his fellow enforcer into his dorm by her hips.  Knowing that the girl had been sleeping with Shinya caused Kami to feel guilty for using flirting shamelessly with him to avoid budding feelings towards her partner.  It was obvious that she had unintentionally been making Mina feel insecure.  
  
“No.  Absolutely not!”  Erra was relieved to see the brunette relax and accept her answer.  “I mean, certainly I enjoy flirting with Enforcer Kougami, because he knows how to take a joke without coming back creepy, like other men, but I’ll definitely cut back if it makes you uncomf—“  the glare she was suddenly getting prevented Erra from finishing the statement.  Now the redhead found she was the one feeling insecure.  “It isn't that he isn't attractive, but it seems I…I have a soft spot for another man.”     
  
“It's Inspector Ginoza, isn't it?”  Nakamura was leaning over, eager for the answer.     
  
Kamiya felt heat in her cheeks.  “Is it terribly obvious?”  The inspector was feeling very self-conscious and foolish.  
  
The little enforcer laughed at her awkwardness.  “No, I don’t think so,” she assured.  “It’s just that I kind of hoped that was your answer.  I’ve kind of been shipping it in my head.”  
  
“Shipping?”   
  
“Yeah,” she chuckled again.  “Like, I think the two of you should be in a relation _ship_ and totally support the idea that if anyone is going to loosen that guy up, it’s got to be you.  Please tell me you two are sleeping together.”  
  
“What?  No!  Mina!”  Erra felt incredibly flustered.  She began speaking much too quickly, giving too many details.  “I only said I have a soft spot for him!  Nothing’s happened!  He’s just a good man.  Not that he isn’t utter perfection in a suit…I mean, even you think he’s sexy.  You _just_ said… And he—he’s very kind.”  
  
Now the enforcer was really laughing.  “You’ve got it bad if you consider Inspector Ginoza to be ‘kind.’”  The woman was having trouble breathing she was laughing so hard.  
  
Erra felt a surge of protective feelings for her partner.  “Please don’t laugh at that.  You don’t know how he is in private!”  
  
“I hear _nobody_ does.  It’s exactly the reason I think you need to be the one to find out.  The man can hardly contain himself when you’re in a room.  You should see how he watches you, Kamiya.  It’s—“ but she wasn’t given the chance to finish.  
  
“That’s enough, thank you.  I—I’m married.  I mean…it’s complicated, Mina.”  The enforcer looked slightly horrified as the inspector began to cry.  It wasn’t how she wanted to share the information with her new friend, but Kamiya decided now was as good a time as any.  The brunette listened intently and comforted Erra in all the right ways, apologizing profusely for not knowing.  After a long while, the inspector watched as Mina headed back to the makeshift bone lab.  Erra felt overwhelmed at having recounted so much of her past but also relieved to find someone to share with.  She had needed the comforting words now more than ever.   
  
For only the second time since losing Ren, she felt that she had somehow just managed to make a real and true new friend.  
  
  
 ** _To Be Continued..._**


	10. Rising Rivalry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-authored by jolibrix 
> 
> Mina affects both Kougami and Nurse Seki. Tetsuo wants to spend more time with her and Mina is attracted to both men, possibly causing more tension down the road.

Kougami stood in front of the wall and lit a cigarette.  As much as he had tried, he had been unable to simply throw away the questions that haunted him.  He justified allowing this bit of his obsessiveness with Akane's request to have him continue searching for the truth.  Shinya only permitted himself an hour every other day to look at the myriad of facts that seemed to have something to do with the truth about Sybil.  How many times would he look at this wall until he gave up?     
  
As he had every other time before he followed the bits of string indicating a connection or a lack thereof, and found no way to deduce an answer.  What was Sybil hiding?   
  
He was positive that many answers were in Nona Tower.  Try as he might, the enforcer could think of no logical way to get into the building.  He also had no idea of what he could even effectively do once inside.  In the event that he did get in, how would he justify going into the deepest depths of the tower... a space that didn't have a record in architecture.  The cold hard fact was that Akane had gone into that building and decided to take on Makashima by herself after leaving.   _After_ Nona Tower, the inspector had decided to take justice into her own hands... what changed her?    
  
Kagari had gone 'missing' because of whatever was under the structure.  Kougami was positive the poor kid was dead.  He wouldn't have run away, that was for certain.  Kagari had known what it meant to be latent from the age of five.  True, he hated and resented the fact that Sybil didn’t even offer him a chance to be anything in life, but he had a place here with Division One.  They were the only family that boy had, and it ached Kou to remember the last time he’d seen Shuusei, heading down to the basement of the tower.  
  
Shinya often wondered how things would be if he had seen through his own blood lust and Makashima's obvious distraction to what must have been the more significant discovery under the tower.     
  
Thinking of the late Inspector Tsunemori, he tried for the millionth time to draw deductions from her now memorized recording.  He listened to it now, simply to hear the sound of her voice.  What she hadn't mentioned was _overthrowing_ Sybil.  Seek answers, fight the system, and make a change.  Akane had not been radicalized.  She was not Makashima.     
  
That, of course, brought up another point.  His former nemesis had been a violent sociopath, true, but the man had also been smart.  The villain was on par with Kou himself, in terms of intelligence.  It wouldn't do well to ignore the fact that Makashima had seen personally that something in Nona Tower was highly important to changing their society.  He had said as much the night he called Shinya after escaping.  The man seemed to think that a great reveal would be all that was needed for him to be excused for his wrongs.  At the very least, he believed Kougami would be able to relate, even after the sadistic violence he had influenced.     
  
What the hell was in there?  The heart of Sybil, probably, but what about it was so damned important?  The cigarette was crushed into an already full ashtray.      
  
With a frustrated huff, he picked up the small wooden practice knife Sasayama had given him and started changing grips in rapid succession, pacing a bit as he did.  As usual, when the man started doing this, his thoughts brought him to even bigger questions.    
  
What was the rest of the world truly like?  Would knowing the facts about the system ruin their ‘utopian’ society that was supposedly the only, true stress-free happiness?  Was ignorance really bliss?  Would people be able to handle a great reveal?  Would they be able to handle the minuscule stress of simply _questioning_ their world?  After what had happened during the raids with those mind control helmets, Kou had very serious doubts that they would.  
  
The faux blade clattered against the table, and he stared at it.  Kou was stomping through the exact same avenues he did every single time he studied that damnable wall.  He needed to find another way of looking at this particular mystery.     
  
_How would Mina look at it?_  Ah, now that was an interesting question.  She didn't look at things the way that other people did, that was for certain.  Besides behaving differently than nearly every other person he’d ever met, making it extremely difficult for him to pin a profile on the woman, she seemed more grounded in her distaste of their society.    
  
She wasn’t the same as Makashima, though.  She didn’t want to cause some anarchic uprising to show people “the light.”  If they wanted to continue having their whole lives decided for them, then whatever—but _she_ wanted the _right_ to decide for herself.  She wanted other people to have that right, as well, and she would become beyond frustrated when it was blatantly obvious that Sybil decided _everything_.    
  
Oftentimes, it seemed she was someone who had actually experienced something better…freer, but Kou kept reminding himself that wasn’t possible in Japan.  One conversation in particular stood out to Kougami just then.  After she had lost her temper for the hundredth time with Inspector Ginoza and spent the rest of the day in silence so she wouldn’t say something that got her suspended, Kou followed to her apartment trying to understand why she had such a hard time understanding where his old partner was coming from.  
  
He asked her if she could really and _truly_ imagine a life without Sybil.   
  
The woman had succinctly replied with an emphatic “Yes.”   
  
“So, you think you can picture a world without complete chaos where people are able to live successful, fulfilling lives?  We’ve all heard the stories of the rest of the world.  Everywhere is war torn and desolate.  You really think you can picture people being happier like that than with the help of Sybil?”  He had said it with incredulity.  The truth was, that when he tried to think of it, it was kind of overwhelming.  If it was a bit much for him, how would the rest of Japan handle it?      
  
“That’s not what I’m saying.  I’m not saying that people are happier in war zones.  I can imagine that the world is a _much_ bigger place than we seem to recall.  There could be plenty of pocket societies surviving just fine in their own little communities.”  Mina had taken on the look that he had come to know so well over the past few months.  It meant that she was getting fired up about something, organizing her thoughts, and ready to _challenge_.   
  
Tetsuo, who had surprised her with dinner and shared with Kou after finding him in her apartment, was sitting to her left.  He stopped eating and watched with candid interest.     
  
“You ask if I can imagine it... I...” She had pursed her lips.  “Without a doubt, I can envision that type of world.  I think the freedom of it outweighs the risks involved.  That kind of society, at the very least, would give people choices.  Here, a computer limits those choices.  Is everyone at this table sure that scan considers all possibilities in terms of a person's capabilities?  I'm not.  This,” she motioned generally around her, “is creating a population with some very serious problems.  For one, it seems like the populace couldn't _handle_ stress, or even that they _wouldn’t_ handle it.  They can't make decisions for themselves.  What happens if there is some horrible calamity that makes them have to deal with the everyday pains and aches that occur without Sybil?  What will people do if Sybil isn’t around to tell them which way of wiping their ass will keep their hues the clearest?”  
  
Tetsuo choked on the sip of his drink he had just taken, and Kougami found himself irritated that it would actually be a genuine issue for some people.  
  
She continued, “The system is just so damned flawed.  There is a rhetoric.  'Sybil is happiness.’  It seems that happiness is equal to ignorance in this case.  That might be fine for some, but it _isn’t_ for me.        
"Even if we look at it medically…there was a great deal of research in the past arguing that a little bit of stress is good for a human being, am I not right Tet?  It may be outdated by today’s standards, but I can’t agree that it _should_ be!  Hell, aren't there people here who are so drugged into ‘happiness’ they don't even respond to stimuli anymore?”   
  
Tetsuo nodded his head.   
  
“Which brings me to us.  You are not bad men.  We are treated like criminals, but as far as I know, the three of us have simply reacted to the stimuli around us like human beings are fucking supposed to do.  Stress does not a criminal make.  Dare I say, that some of the latents that are here simply _questioned_ the world around them?  It seems like subduing the threat of a high stress level is quelling, not only possible criminals, but those who might question the system’s merits.     
"Yeah, sure, in a society without Sybil, I would have to worry about water and food acquisition, shelter, and other needs, but I would take that just to be able to sit outside at night, drink, and have a good conversation.  I see the advantage of this kind of ' _utopia_ ', but I think that it’s coming with some very detrimental effects to the human population.  At the very least, it needs tweaking.  When Sybil was first becoming what it is today, there were people who argued the very things I have just now... and I...”    
  
She stopped midsentence and looked at the two of them, realizing just how much she had said, probably nervous from the inquisitive looks on their faces.     
  
“How is it you know so much about history, Chibi-chan?” Tetsuo had asked, astutely.  It was a damned good question.  In Kou’s conversations with Mina, she brought up history, ancient and otherwise, quite often.  They weren't taught history in schools.  It was deemed unnecessary now that they lived in a “perfect” society.  They were raised to believe studying tragedies of the past would darken their hues.  That would mean that she had to have self-taught the subject.  It was odd.     
  
“I read a lot of books on the subject.  So did my family,” she said, placing a hand over the tattoo Kou knew was on her ribcage and glancing at it briefly.  It was the one she said was written in ancient Latin, a family motto, she had told him.  Then Mina did exactly what she had done every other time a rant came out of her mouth.  She ran away.  She didn’t even pay attention to the fact that they were in _her_ apartment and just left the two men there to awkwardly excuse themselves.   
  
Shaking his head at the strange memory, Shinya stared at the wall again.  Mina might be the very person to help him look at the whole thing from a new perspective—or she might drive him crazy by being another mystery he didn’t know how to solve.  
  
Before leaving the wall, Kougami wrote “ _ **Nakamura**_ ” and the words of her tattoo “ _ **Mortui Vivos Docent**_ ” on a piece of paper and pinned it to the cork board.     
  
********  
Tetsuo Seki was finishing up his charts before his shift ended for the morning.  Though he wasn’t given the dignity of the actual title, Tet was usually the only doctor left in the infirmary in the very early hours of the day.  Of course, he wasn’t a doctor anymore.  He was good enough to work on the PSB’s latent criminal employees, but that could be his only purpose since becoming latent himself.  
  
Two years previous, the intelligent young man had been a busy and highly sought-after pediatric surgeon.  He adored his job and excelled at both the surgical skills and dealing with his young frightened patients.  
  
Taking one of the yellow lemon flavored lollipops out of the shirt pocket of his scrubs, he smiled ruefully as he thought about how he’d come to love the candy so much.  His patients almost _never_ chose the yellow treats and he would end up with a jar full of them.  He didn’t care for them at first, but he didn’t want them to waste either.  By the time he left rehab to work for the MWPSB, they were a comforting reminder of old times and he couldn’t get enough.   
  
Seki was easily the most skilled surgeon working the infirmary for the enforcers, but he wasn’t allowed to practice those skills, generally, only offering support to the operating doctors.  It was frustrating, but it was better than sitting around the facility going crazy.  Things had been getting more frustrating though when he hadn’t been allowed to help Division One on certain assignments where he knew his skill would have helped Inspector Tsunemori and Kougami.  By keeping him in the clinic most of the time, he wasn’t available to help in the field.  
  
On top of that, people found his personality awkward and his sense of humor dark.  There were very few that would spend casual time with the man.  Masaoka was one, and Shuusei Kagari had been another.  After his disappearance, Nurse Seki felt increasingly lonely, useless, and disillusioned.  Tet was a little afraid he may need to voluntarily return to rehab before his crime co-efficient rose above 300.    
  
Then Mina Nakamura tackled him to the ground in the middle of the ward.  
  
Tetsuo had been fond of the little firecracker from the moment they met and they became instant friends.  They seemed to instinctively get one another, laughing hysterically at inappropriate jokes and just sharing a more relaxed mood when they were together.  The atmosphere of being latent seemed almost tolerable with the woman he now affectionately called “Chibi-chan.”  
  
It took virtually no time after for him to notice how attracted he was to the woman, but she was so self-conscious that none of his compliments came across as genuine to her.  It didn’t matter.  Tetsuo had already made up his mind to spend as long as it took for her to at least acknowledge that his attraction to her was authentic.  What else was there for him to do?  He had nothing but time, after all, and there had been no other person he’d felt so connected with or wanted so much since coming to live here.  He knew she was a personality type that would take time to accept that he wasn’t trying to placate her, and he would wait it out.  
  
Finishing the last of the charts, he decided to stop by Mina’s place for a quick visit before heading to bed.  
  
********  
Mina jumped out of her skin at the sound of her dormitory door opening.  Turning quickly, wishing they would figure out a way to lock the damned door, she prayed that it was just a member of Division One.  If anyone found out that they had kept evidence and were processing it, after Sybil and the chief forbade it, well, then they were fucked.  The area that had once been her kitchen was now her bone lab, and there was no hiding it.     
  
She was also jumpy because she had been up and working on the four skeletons for upwards of twenty-two hours.  Coffee proved to be ineffectual after the eighteen hour mark.  Concentration waning, paranoia rising, Nakamura clutched her chest as she rose to see who was intruding.     
  
“Hey, Mina?”  It was Tetsuo.  Both he and Kou had the bad habit of refusing to use the chime.  Instead, they walked in like they owned the place.   
  
He looked around, took in her new 'décor' and sat at the long table where she had been simultaneously doing research and obsessively looking over the dead for answers.  He sat there as if there was nothing strange about there being human remains on her dining table.     
  
“Damn it, you scared the shit out of me!”  She plopped back down in her chair, and pushed hair out of her eyes.  It didn't seem to matter how well she put it up.  The strands somehow found their way out and across her face.  The desperate hope that he would just ignore the whole scenario was shattered when he spoke.   
  
“I like what you've done with the place.  Even though, I think it would look better with a grave stone right over there, and maybe...”   
  
“Hush,” she said, pulling the bright lamp attached to the side of the table to get a clearer look at the porous lesions on a rib.  Her presentation for the team was going to be difficult.  There were many odd things about the four people they had saved from cremation.  Many of them didn't add up.     
  
“But really, I can help you out.  All you need to do is convert your cabinets to mausoleum space.”  Mina could feel his appraising glare on her.  “Are you going to tell me why you have three versions of Mr. Dangles spread out around your kitchen?”     
  
A small chuckle left her, fogging the magnifying glass she was using.  Mr. Dangles is what he had affectionately named the hanging skeleton in the infirmary.  “You shouldn't be seeing this, Tetsuo.”   
  
“Well, I have.”  He picked up the e-reader she had been using for reference material.  “So, you could fill me in.  I can keep a secret, believe it or not.”  He pushed the sleeves of his shirt up.  “And why the hell is it so hot in here?”     
  
Mina set the rib down and weighed her options.  He had already seen enough to get them into deep shit, but if he knew, it could get him into trouble as well.  Walking away right now might give him the excuse of plausible deniability if shit did hit the fan.   
  
“Why were you looking up things about trepanematosis?”     
  
“Fuck it.”  Pushing the tray away from her, and turning off the lamp she sat back and crossed her arms.  “You could get into a lot of trouble for knowing about this.  I think I should warn you.  Do you still want to know?”   
  
“Spill it, Chibi-chan,” he said, making a motion for her to get on with it.  
  
“This is evidence from the last case we were sent out on.  It was unmistakably a mass grave.  We were able to get these four out before the robots joined in, and Sybil declared that all of them were unidentifiable.  Then, all of others were cremated—turned to ash, because Sybil said it must have been archaeological.”     
  
“I take it that they weren't.”     
  
“Absolutely _not_.  Some of them had fairly modern cybernetic arms and legs, as well as other indicators that I'm currently investigating.  The dental and other medical apparatus were recent, too.”  Mina counted to ten silently, attempting to hold back her anger. “They told us to just forget about it, but it's a serious issue.  A mass grave is nothing to be ignored.  This shouldn’t even be possible in this society!”     
  
Amber orbs caught her gaze, and for a moment, she was afraid he might admonish her, but true to form he asked, “Is there a way I can help?”   
  
“Yes, actually, you might be just the person I need.”  She handed him two pieces of paper and pointed to one.  “I need an answer to all these questions.”  Indicating the other piece, she said, “And I need these equations solved, so I can get the stature of these two finished.  I figure the questions should be easy since you were a doctor...”   
  
“How do you know that?” he interrupted quickly, looking a little shocked.     
  
“When I first met you, you almost called yourself ‘Doctor.’  I assume they demoted you when you joined the CID as a latent, which is stupid.  They shouldn't waste talent.”   
  
“I was a pediatric surgeon.”     
  
Nakamura felt a smile grace her lips.  “I like that.  It suits you.”     
  
He flushed with the compliment, then turned his attention to her papers.  “You have the worst handwr...”   
  
“Don't say it.  I know.  It’s awful.”  With a grin she commanded, “Now get to work.”     
  
They worked in companionable silence.  Every so often, she would catch him looking at her, and she wondered if maybe there was something on her face.     
  
“I can't do this anymore,” he exclaimed at one point and with one fluid motion, took his scrubs top down to the thin white t-shirt underneath.  “Seriously, why is it like an inferno in here?”  He looked where the air conditioning unit was.  “Did you dismantle the cooling system?”   
  
“I work better in heat, and I hate that stupid machine.  I had to do something.”  A quick glance showed that he was sweating.  The edges of his hair damp with it.  “You don't have to stay if it bothers you.”   
  
He just shook his head, pulled a yellow lollipop from his pocket, popped it into his mouth, and went back to work.  Eventually she turned on music, needing the background noise, which was why she didn't hear Kougami enter.     
  
Dropping the innominate she was assessing, hoping for better evidence that yes, this one was a male, the woman shrieked a little at the feeling of hot breath on the side of her neck and Kou's voice asking, “What are you doing?”     
  
“Holy shit, Kougami!”  After this, she was putting a dresser in front of the door, for at least twenty-four hours.     
  
He laughed, a deep sound that sent breath ghosting over her throat and collar bone.  Looking over her shoulder, he had managed to get his head as close to hers as possible.     
  
“Hey, Kou,” she heard the head nurse say, teeth clicking lightly on his candy.  She noticed the black shaggy head look up briefly, narrow his eyes, and nod.     
  
“So, you told him about the case?”  The smell of cigarettes, his cologne, and a little sweat filled her nostrils.  It was a comforting scent.  He still had not moved from his invading position.     
  
“I kind of had to.  He saw the kitchen.  Besides, he's helping.”     
  
“Hey, I thought we agreed.  It's not the kitchen.  It’s part of the mausoleum now.  I can put some nice potted plants right there, and voila!  It will be perfect,” the blonde said.  Despite the fact that she was concentrating on the task at hand, the woman could hear the smile in his voice.     
  
“You could have just not let him in,” the man behind challenged.     
  
“Ugh.  Both of you have the habit of just waltzing right on in.  I find it even more weird how used to that I am now. What if I was doing something private?  Have either one of you thought of that?”  Her head moved a little as she ranted, and it nudged against Kou's cheek.  She didn't necessarily mind their intrusion, but she wasn’t going to tell them that.  Behind her, she felt Kou shrug, and in front of her, she saw Tetsuo do the same.    
  
Tirade over she picked up her work and tried not to notice that Shinya had not moved.  After a minute or so of his continuing perusal over her shoulder, Nakamura stopped, lowered her head and asked, “Kougami, what can I do for you?”     
  
“I'm waiting for you to tell me what you're doing.  I'm curious.”     
  
“Oh, you were serious.”  She felt him nod.  “I am using this,” she held up the hip bone, “to determine the sex of this skeleton.  I am already pretty sure he's a male, but the innominate is the most accurate way to determine sex.”   
  
“How?”     
  
Mina struggled for a minute, wondering if she should dumb it down, and decided against it.  He was supposedly brilliant, and she had a visual aid.  “Do you see this?”   
  
“Yeah.”  She felt his arms against her upper back as he leaned against the chair.     
  
“This is the subpubic region of the innominate.  There are three things I look at here.  First the ventral arc,” she pointed, “which has a ridge, right here, on women.  As you can see, this one doesn't have it.”     
  
“I can't really tell,” he sounded a little miffed.     
  
There was no way to be sure, but Mina thought she saw, through her unruly sweat soaked hair, Tetsuo smirking. “Well the next two are easier.  You see how this is kind of convex or flat?  If this person were female, it would be concave.  And this,” she said gesturing to the greater sciatic notch.  “This is sort of subjective but this would be much larger and broader in a lady.  You can kind of use your thumb to measure.”     
  
“Hm.  Is there a way I can help?”   
  
“Yes, actually.  I haven't cleaned the last one off.  It's over there.  Use the brush to get the stubborn dirt off.  Don't submerge any of them, and be sure to use the strainer,” she said and paused.  Mina was happy he was here.  She wasn't quite ready to deal with that particular set of remains.  It was a child. “The bones are small... so use the one with the smallest holes.  I'll look through it when you're done.”   
  
He walked over and set up his buckets, pausing when he looked inside the box.  Mina felt a little ashamed for be unable to at least get that one started.  It wasn't like she didn't have plenty of work, but that one should have been cleaned off by now.  For the time being she was keeping busy with her three adults.       
  
At one point, while still working Kou informed her that all the pictures from the mass grave had been erased or closed to them, and Mina, exhausted as she was, had thrown a fit.  She knew that getting angry wasn't going to solve anything, but it wasn't fair.  “Fucking Sybil,” she had muttered, sitting back down.   
  
She was starting to lose concentration, and thinking that maybe, it would be better to take a nap and then continue, when she found the most unsettling thing thus far.  The other male's skull was in her hands, and with very careful movements, she was placing teeth back into their proper place.  The skull almost smashed to the table when she saw the medial right incisor.  Close examination proved that it had been filed down to a point, but not completely.  Memories flooded her, and without saying a word, she left the two men to their tasks to hide in her bedroom.     
  
Her brother had been rambunctious, especially as a teen, and his friends were no better.  One time, his friend Nago has spent the night and raided Nakamura's e-reader.  Finding a picture of a cultural group that filed their teeth and had been dead for over a hundred years, fueled her brother to convince his friend to file their teeth.  As luck would have it, they had been caught, and his friend walked around with a half-filed tooth.   
  
It was such a distinct bit of dental work, that there was a very small chance that the skeleton on her table was anybody but Nago.  It was too close to home, and led her to thinking that maybe the reason Sybil couldn't identify the people was that they were Unregistereds.  Mina fought back tears, realizing that this was what had been happening to the people that disappeared.  She had considered the notion while digging, but had tried desperately not to jump to any conclusions.  In a way, though, it was like she had been waiting for something like this to jump out at her.   
  
She thought of Erra in that moment.  What if this is what happened to her husband?  Maybe he had found the wrong something or someone while working in a remote area and had then been killed.  That would be horrible, and she certainly didn't wish that on her friend, but from the bits the inspector had shared with her, it seemed extremely plausible.   
  
Mina was struck then.  She had just mentally acknowledged her friendship with Erra, and she cursed under her breath.  
  
“Damn it, Kishio!  You’re always right.  I’m no good at this stuff.”  
  
Without realizing it, Division One and Tetsuo had endeared themselves to her.  If she were being honest with herself, it was more than simple endearment with many.  Even with Inspector Ginoza, _by far_ her least favorite of her team, she could see that there was more to the man than fear and spite and blindly following orders, if he would just open up to someone.  It may have been buried deep, but he wasn’t completely hopeless as long as someone like Kamiya was around.  
  
She thought back to her conversation with Erra and how the inspector had talked easily and casually with someone who should be considered a dog to her.  Not only that, but Mina knew that it wasn’t a farce.  Erra wasn’t just trying to get something out of her.  She just wanted to talk—to laugh.  Nakamura could see the woman becoming a very good friend.    
  
Mina found the woman to be fairly astounding. It was amazing to Nakamura that a product of Sybil could keep her hue in check, question the system, and deal with stress—real stress— and still succeed.  The redhead also put Inspector Ginoza in his place, something that the enforcer felt was needed.     
  
They also had this one thing in common.  Both had missing loved ones.  Kamiya knew what loss was, and when she had broken down crying that day they bonded, Mina wished she could share her story about missing family and friends.  All that she had been able to do, though, was offer fairly generic comfort for the woman.  She wanted to do more, but she certainly didn't know the woman well enough for that…not yet.      
  
She was interrupted from her thoughts by Kou, stating that Chief Kaisei insisted that all of Division One go out on an apprehension.  There was no getting out of it.     
  
With a heavy sigh, Mina changed into suitable clothing and argued with Tetsuo that he should go home and get some sleep after his late shift.  He refused, saying this was much too interesting a mystery to pass up and that he would be fine for a bit longer.  He offered to write down any of his findings, and Mina couldn’t deny that she needed the extra hands.  
  
Agreeing, Tet smiled as he said, “Be safe,” to she and Kou.    
  
“We’ll try,” she said.  
  
A change of scenery may help the pain she was feeling over having just discovered an old friend dead…but she doubted it.  She and Shinya headed out, her exhausted with a heavy heart.     
  
  
********  
When he entered Mina's apartment, Kougami had not been shocked to find Tetsuo there, but he was a little confused when she said that he was helping.  Seki could get into a lot of trouble for having any part in this.  It was also odd that she was letting him help.  The woman hadn't asked for assistance from anyone on the team yet.   
  
Taking a moment to watch the scene when he first entered, he was amused by the way she slouched over the table, concentrating hard on the work in front of her.  That dark brown mess of hair was pulled up into a loose bun, frizzy strands seemingly planning a mass escape.  Her exposed neck was just begging him to approach.  He enjoyed the little squeal she let out when he snuck up behind her.  Kou enjoyed it a little too much.  She smelled perfect.  Breathing in against her skin like that made his mind wander to the increasing instances of her showing up at his dormitory any hour of the day and demanding he take her mind off the stress.  
  
If only Nurse Seki hadn’t been there, Shinya would have liked making her mind focus on him again.  
  
As it was, he needed to stay focused himself.  It wasn’t too difficult, since he was insanely curious about how much she could deduce from what little they had.  She wasn't a robot that could process every nook and cranny in a few easy seconds, but he found that comforting.  Unfortunately, it didn’t make her less sexy.  
  
Maybe if she gave him something else to do for now.   
  
He could instantly see why Mina hadn’t started on this set of remains yet.  The tiny bones caused a sharp pain in his chest, but he began cleaning them anyway.  The three of them worked in silence for a while, except for the music that Min always played in the background.  The work was heavy, so he watched Mina working and purposely let his mind wander to how they ended up where they were now.  
  
Since that first evening that she had turned up in his apartment and ordered him to take her, it had become a regular occurrence.  Most instances were accomplished without the benefit of speech.  Usually, she would ring the chime, he would open the door, lean against the frame, and simply raise an eyebrow.  Sometimes she had a book to return or give, but most of the time she simply found a wordless way to imply what she wanted.  It was either a yank of his tie, a finger tugging him roughly towards her by his belt loop, or just straight into a frantic and passionate rush to take off clothing...hot, wet kisses delivered with fervor.  He particularly enjoyed the feel of their lips meeting, the very start of each time.  She always left quickly, generally saying nothing other than the moans or curses or calls of his name that he was able to illicit.  
  
They were rough with each other.  She seemed to like it that way, and he knew that he certainly did.  Only once had they come together softly.  Mina had entered his room, and Shinya had motioned for her to follow while he finished cooking.  She caught him off guard by asking him actual questions about himself and making an occasional awkward joke like when they discussed their books.  It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy the conversations, it was that not once had she ever mixed that in when she came to him seeking pleasure.  
  
As soon as he had turned the burner to 'off', she tugged on his sleeve for attention.  The gesture was certainly different for the woman— almost cute.  Looking down, Kou found her looking earnest and vulnerable...almost soft.  Then her hands had adjusted his hips so that he was facing her, and Mina pulled the shirt from his slacks slowly.  Pausing, seeming worried that maybe her talking had spoiled the mood, slender fingers rested on the buckle of his belt.    
  
Instead of ripping her shirt off or pulling her toward him as was their norm, he had pressed a finger under her chin, curious of her expression, hoping to glean something from her eyes.  She met his gaze only briefly, but it was long enough for Kougami to catch a timid and tender look on her face that he found truly beautiful.  The two of them both seemed to tremble slightly as their lips met that night.   
  
Kou had never pictured Mina as timid or vulnerable, and her acting that way suddenly made _him_ feel very vulnerable.  He completely hated that feeling.  Quickly, he turned their soft and shy kiss into something much more frenetic.  She responded in kind and quickly they were back to ripping away each other’s clothing, finishing quickly, and Mina leaving in silence while Kou sat alone at his table with the food he’d cooked.  He couldn’t shake the feeling that he had messed something up, but he didn’t know why, and when Mina continued on as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, Shinya began telling himself it was all in his head.  
  
He much preferred the arrangement they had.  He didn’t see any need to take it somewhere emotional.  The sex was phenomenal and her company was comfortable.  Sentiment was unnecessary the way he saw it.  He already found her the most interesting to be around in this dump.  Why confuse things when there was something so good already between them?  
  
As it was, the pair spent much of their leisure time together.  If they weren’t working out in the gym (or in the bedroom), he would head to the lounge with his e-reader, knowing she was likely to be their reading, as well.  Mina would be curled on one side of the couch and only spare him a quick glance and smirk, which he would return before taking up on the opposite side of the sofa.  They would sit for hours…silent but together.  They would spend a great deal of time discussing the literature they passed back and forth, and he had enjoyed the fact that he thought of it as “their thing.”    
  
It was irritating, then, when he had come in the lounge one evening and Tetsuo was stretched across the couch, head in Mina’s lap, as she read aloud from the book in her hand.  When she noticed him and said hello, Seki had started to move before Kougami told him not to bother getting up because he’d just wanted a cup of coffee and was out of filters in his room.  He grabbed a filter and continued getting aggravated as he walked back to his apartment.  
  
It wasn’t an unusual sight.  The nurse and Mina were always very touchy feely with one another, and she seemed to be much more relaxed around Seki than she generally was with Kou.  Tetsuo seemed to be able to bring out a playful side of her that Shinya was yet to be privy to.  The pair joked around far easier than Mina would with him, but that was just because it wasn’t his style…wasn’t it?  Surely, it couldn’t be because she felt intimidated or distrustful of Kou.   
  
He reminded himself (only somewhat usefully) that he didn’t care.  None of that mattered.  He much preferred the arrangement they had, after all.  They were just having a bit of fun, so what Seki was for her didn’t even matter.  Kougami found himself annoyed that Mina had given him that soft expression and gentle kiss, at all.  He would dwell on it, wondering why she wanted to confuse him, not paying attention in the least to the fact that she’d never once brought it up again or even acted as if it happened—not seeming to notice that he seemed to be the only one concerned with the matter in the first place.  
  
Shinya was brought out of his obnoxious thoughts when he noticed Mina’s expression looking at the skull in her hand.  She looked as if someone had smacked her across the face.  Before he could say anything, she walked off to her bedroom without a word.  
  
Kou spared a glance to Tetsuo and furrowed his brow at the concerned way the man stared after her.  Kougami thought maybe he should go check on her…or maybe he should tell Seki to do it.  It would probably be better to just start distancing himself from the whole situation.  If Mina wanted Tetsuo, she could have him.  What did it matter to Kou anyway?  
  
As far as he knew, however, she had never sought Seki out when she was in need of pleasure and release and hands over every inch of her body.    
  
As the nurse took a step to follow, Kougami sighed and said, “I’m going to go check if she’s ok,” pretending just not to have noticed that he had cut in over the other man.  
  
Stepping towards her room, Shinya paused in the hallway as his communicator chimed.  It was Ginoza saying that both he and Nakamura were needed for an apprehension.   
  
Preparing to leave, Kou thought Seki seemed a little too eager to offer to stay and try working more with the skeletons.  It seemed like the man only wanted to impress Mina.  Kou reminded himself that he didn’t care if that were the case.  When Tetsuo asked Mina to be safe, Kou caught the brief flash of disappointment in his eyes when she answered, “ _We_ will.”  Seki meant it just for the girl, and to Kougami it was clear that the man had feelings for her.  
  
As they left for HQ, Shinya thought to himself that she could do whatever she pleased about it.  It wasn’t like there was something personal between the pair.  If she wanted to sleep with other men, then whatever.  He reminded himself that he couldn’t care less.  
  
  
 ** _To Be Continued..._**


	11. Unscrupulous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-authored by jolibrix 
> 
> Erra's hatred for the head of the bureau becomes more apparent and her suspicions grow even further after the latest danger in which her team has been placed.  
> Tetsuo really comes through for the injured members of Division One but can't control his anger over the man who did this to them all.  
> Ginoza wakes from sedation in a rather amusing mood. ^_^
> 
> *COMMENTS TRULY MAKE OUR DAY! ^__^*

**_CHAPTER ELEVEN: Unscrupulous  
  
_** Erra didn't have time to let Chief Kaisei's warning to her, as well as Mina and Ginoza, settle in enough to cause real worry.  The redhead had expected the slap on the wrist, because Mina had thrown several Molotov cocktails into the small concrete building where their most recent criminal had been cornered.     
  
To be fair, Hound 4 had asked first whether or not there were any other people in the building before sneaking into a closed bar across the street, stealing large quantities of the purest alcohol she could find and making devices that would be sure to set the building ablaze.  Mina had also asked for confirmation that, yes, the man inside had a crime co-efficient that would warrant lethal eliminator mode.     
  
Plus, the enforcer _had_ waited until they tried to enter the building, only to discover that the criminal had managed to make some type of device, (forensics had yet to get back to them on exactly what it had been), that would expel shrapnel at high speeds.  This particular discovery had been made the hard way, when Mina, Ginoza, and Kougami attempted to storm in and take care of the threat.  All three came back with glass, nails, and bits of metal embedded in their skin.  They were fortunate not to have been too close to the blast and that the device wasn't powerful enough to send the debris deeper into their bodies.     
  
The arrogant bastard inside had very succinctly told them that he had more where that came from.  It was up to Kamiya to neutralize the threat, but Ginoza refused to let her go alone, despite being injured.  Holding his Dominator out and at the ready became more and more difficult for the man by the second.  Erra managed to come down from the building's upper level and sneak up on the culprit, putting him down easily.    
  
Nakamura had been tired, she said, and she had been simply trying to smoke the man out.  Fire suppression drones would be on the scene before it spread, and no one else would get hurt.  Kamiya understood her reasoning, and was upset that they had been made to bring her along in the first place.  The makeshift lab in her kitchen was where she was needed.  They had tried to get her out of going with them, to no avail.  Now two of Division One's enforcers were in fairly rough shape.      
  
Erra's worry at that moment, however, was for Ginoza, who was putting on a very strong face for the others, but on the car ride back, after much prodding from her, had revealed that his shoulder was absolutely riddled with debris and was bleeding profusely.  Shrapnel worried Erra.  It was the kind of thing that only terrorists used in their Dominator-controlled society, and she knew that sometimes they would coat it in poison.  While that was unlikely, she felt the pressure of time.   
  
“I'm going to be fine, Kami,” he had said in the car, pressing the blood soaked bandage against the wound, groaning slightly.  “This is the only spot.”     
  
“I wish you guys wouldn't have refused riding in the ambulance with the EMTs,” she had retorted.    
  
“We'll be fine.  We can all walk into the infirmary.  The ambulance was unnecessary.  Besides, Kougami took the brunt of the blast.  He knocked me to the ground and grabbed Nakamura around the waist.  He’s who we should be worrying about.”   Erra found his unconcealed concern for his friend extremely sweet.  
  
When they got out at the CID tower, Kamiya saw what Gino meant.  Kou must have grabbed Mina at a diagonal because her bleeding was along her abdomen and chest, as well as a bit on her face.  He, however, had it all in his entire left arm, and the back of his shirt was drenched with blood even through the bandages.  He was starting to look rather gray.  
  
The chief had been blocking the way, which annoyed Kamiya to no end.  Apparently, the gray haired woman just could not wait to make her point until everyone was patched up.  Erra was thankful that Kaisei at least dismissed Kougami to be treated.     
  
“I am going to make a very clear point,” Kaisei started.  “Never again will you destroy property in such a manner.  Inspectors Ginoza and Kamiya, you need to keep your dog on a leash.  This was unacceptable behavior.  Making an improvised incendiary weapon is not only illegal, but also dangerous.  Nothing of this nature will ever happen again.  Do I make myself clear?”     
  
Erra had nodded a simple yes, and saw that the others did as well.  What she had actually wanted to do was lay into the woman for being a bitch, reprimanding them for something so obvious _before_ letting them be treated.  It was uncalled for.  Kaisei dismissed them but Erra stood firm as her injured friends walked inside.  She would make this quick, because she saw that her partner had ushered their enforcer onward, but stood just inside, waiting for Kami.    
  
“Is there something else you wish to say, Inspector Kamiya?” asked the chief in clipped tones.  “May I remind you that your partner, Inspector Ginoza is well aware that he walks a thin wire here on our force?  I would hate to see him fail, yet again, to rein in his troubled team members.”  
  
Erra felt fire flood her body, but kept her face neutral.  “Chief Kaisei, I only wanted to tell you that I take full responsibility for Enforcer Nakamura’s actions today.  Inspector Ginoza would not have allowed such a thing, if he hadn't already been in the building.  He is an excellent leader, ma’am, and you charged me with keeping watch on Division One’s hues.  There’s no reason to suspect Ginoza will let you down.”  
  
“He already has, and you would do well to remember that before taking his orders too eagerly.  He may be our lead inspector for now, but with your strong psychological training and skills, we have every intention of replacing him with a better candidate if he fails once more.”  The chief had made it clear on more than one occasion that she wanted Kamiya in the top spot, and when she had joined Division One, that was exactly where she intended to go.  She wanted to be in the chief's good graces as much as possible, to get as close to any sealed documents on Ren that she could.  
  
Somewhere along the way, though, she had started thinking of ways to do so without Ginoza losing his job.  She wasn't even sure if it was intentional.  Up until that exact moment, she was certain that there was absolutely _nothing_ she wouldn't do to get to the truth about her husband.  
  
The redhead opened her mouth, ready to protest vehemently, but the top brass responded, “Unless you feel you’ve been promoted unnecessarily, Inspector, I suggest you move along for the day.  You’re welcome to return to Division Three at which point, the entirety of Division One will be labeled unstable after the Makashima incident and will be replaced.”  
  
“Is that a threat, Chief?” Kamiya asked, not truly surprised by the turn.  She had already suspected things were handled nefariously at the top of the Sybil System.  It was the reason she was here, after all.  
  
“Not a threat, Kamiya.  A promise.  I told you when you were transferred that the lot of them were on thin ice.  Do as I say if you have any faith in your team,” she said flatly.  
  
Erra wanted to let the old woman have it, but the truth remained, she was here to discover the facts and getting on this woman’s bad side was not the way to go about it.  Instead of yelling, she nodded.  “I understand, ma’am.”  
  
When the chief moved out of the way, Kamiya was a flurry of movement getting her injured partner into the infirmary at last, ignoring his requests to know what his boss had said to her.    
  
It had become habit for Division One enforcers to ask for the head nurse, but since they had left the blonde medical professional in Mina's room further examining their ill-gotten evidence, they were stuck with a doctor she had never seen before.  The man was the only one on duty that could see them as the rest of the personnel was in the field, tending to Division Two’s needs, so they had to take turns.     
  
Kami didn't like him.  In all actuality, the redhead found herself seething at the sandy-haired man.  His name was Dr. Yoshitsu, and he was terrible at what he did.   
  
He had drawn the curtain around himself and Mina first, because Kou refused to be seen before the girl, but Erra could hear well enough.  She sat there with her partner on one bed and Kougami right beside them in another, listening.    
  
“I don't want any pain medication or sedatives, Doctor,” Nakamura stated.  They had all agreed it would be a bad idea for any of them to take drugs that would impair them in any way.  They had a lot of work to do.     
  
His voice, a thick gravel, pushed for the medication, and after her enforcer had said no, snappily, a fifth time, the doctor had relented.  Erra heard him roll a cart, presumably with equipment to take the shrapnel out and stitch the woman up.     
  
Mina's voice was small and a little panicked when she said, “It doesn't need to be up that high for you to see it.”   A few seconds later the enforcer let out a pained scream that sounded like it was through gritted teeth.  “Fucking stop.   _Stop_!”   
  
Erra's eyes met Ginoza's which were as full of shock and disdain as her own.  The redhead marched over and threw the curtain open as Mina forced out, “I didn't fucking say not to use a local anesthetic, you prick!”   
  
The woman was laying there, abdomen bared and bloody, sweating bullets and pushing the doctor's hands away.  He had been trying to remove the fragments without a numbing agent of any sort.  Mina had been right.   _The prick!_  The tweezers were covered in blood and had a bit of metal in between the tongs.     
  
Rage filled Kamiya, and this man was nobody in charge.  Her anger at the previous scolding unloaded, as well.  No one was going to hurt her people.  “Get away from her, right now!  What exactly is the meaning of this, Dr. Yoshitsu?  Do you have no ethics?  I could have your license for this!”  Slapping him would probably get her into more trouble than it was worth, but she was almost to that point where it _would_ be worth it.      
  
“I was merely acquiescing to the lady's request.  I assumed she meant all medication was off the table.”  He had raised his hands, showing that he was no longer touching Mina.  His disgusting tone told the inspector he _knew_ he should have given the meds and had not done so out of spite.  
  
“I want a different doctor in here, and I want to talk to your superior.  Right away!  This is unacceptable!”  Erra fumed.     
  
“Unfortunately, I am the highest ranked person in the infirmary at the moment.  You will have to wait.  There is no other doctor available, nor is there another person here qualified to do this.  Your _enforcer_ ,” he said the word with what she devised was disgust, “is going to have to lay here for a long time before another qualified person comes in.  However, if that is your wish—”     
  
“I find that hard to believe.  How can you be the only doctor on call?  Where are the nurses?”     
  
“Chief Kaisei ordered everyone to attend Division Two’s mission.  I can’t speak as to why.”  Erra grimaced, hate growing at that woman’s stupidity of the day.  The hack continued, “I can leave, if you want, but leaving the shrapnel in will cause a lot of damage.  I will use a numbing agent if I'm allowed to proceed.”  He pulled two syringes from his pocket.  One was already full of an amber liquid.  The other, he moved to fill from a vial with a gold band around the bottom that he pulled from his pocket.  “And you can stay right here and watch me as I work.  Will that suffice?  I do have ethics, Inspector.  I worry that the others are in need of care, as well.  I am capable of doing this, and Chief Kaisei herself handpicked me for this position.  Have faith.”  The smile he gave her was oily and did nothing to ease her ire, neither did the recommendation of her chief.    
  
She weighed her options, and while she was standing to consider telling the guy to fuck off and going to get Tetsuo, she felt Ginoza stand behind her.  Kamiya saw the doctor’s face become a little paler, and realized that the man behind her was giving that glare that made people run.  Ginoza's hand settled on the small of her back.  She realized this was something he had begun doing often, and that it was a gesture that no other man would have _ever_ gotten away with trying...yet the touch from her partner always felt like silent reinforcement.    
  
Further support came in the form of Kougami, who moved to stand beside the bed, while giving his own menacing stare.  It was a testament to how much she was hurting that Nakamura, who would have usually hit the guy in the face by now, was leaning back and gritting her teeth.     
  
Ginoza's voice, stronger than it should have been, rang out from behind her.  “Nakamura, it is your decision.  We'll back up whatever you decide.”  Kamiya immediately felt more comfortable in her authority.  Her partner, as always, had her back.  Though she knew he didn’t care for Mina much, he made it clear that no member of his team would receive such treatment from an outsider.  It reminded Erra of a protective older brother and she felt a fluttering over his actions again.  
  
Kougami brought his fingers to the underside of the other enforcer's wrist and gently caressed the skin.  Mina's eyes opened, and after making eye contact with Kou and then with Erra, who nodded, Nakamura said, “Only if someone's in here with me.  Just the local anesthetics, doctor.”     
  
All three stayed.  The men held their bloodied bandages against weeping wounds but never complained, though Erra did assist Shinya with the bandage over his back.     
  
With that settled he proceeded to place a series of shots in Nakamura's hip, thigh, and lower abdomen.  Yoshitsu’s fingers were quick.  Soon she was free of shrapnel, and stitches were quickly made to close the deep wounds.  They looked incredibly crude, too big, too far apart, and uneven to Erra, but she kept her mouth shut, unsure of how they _should_ look.  He ended with an injection of the liquid from the gold banded vial, touting that it would keep the wound numb longer, alleviating some of the pain.  Instead she groaned deep and guttural.  
  
“That’s normal when it first enters the vein,” he tried to assure her.  Another shot was given, and he finished by throwing the needle into a red marked plastic bin.  He stepped behind them to clean his hands before attempting another patient.  
  
Giving him a skeptical glare, Kami turned to face her partner.  Leaning almost completely against him, lips close enough to his ear to brush skin, she whispered, “He’s lying.  I can't stand here for more of this.  I’m going to get Seki right now.  Don’t let him touch you while I’m gone.”  
  
“I won’t.  He won’t touch any of us,” he whispered into her ear, his breath sending a welcome shudder down her spine.  He, on the other hand, didn’t even flinch at how close they were standing, which caused her some alarm.  
  
Moving back to look at him, he looked pale and sweat was beginning to bead on his brow.  “Are you hurting that much?”  He shook his head slowly, but Kami could tell that wasn’t the truth.  “Maybe he could at least give you something to just dull the pain.”  
  
He shrugged and a shaky breath escaped his lips.  “Sit down, Gino,” she ordered, helping to ease him onto one of the beds.  She placed the back of her hand to his forehead out of instinct.  He didn’t have a fever, he was just overwhelmed by the pain in his shoulder.  Looking at him with great concern, she ran the backs of her fingers across his forehead and then up his jaw.  
  
“I’ll be back as fast as I can.”  
  
“I can handle myself, Kami.  Don’t fret over me.”  
  
“You know you love it,” she taunted.  He managed a smirk, and didn’t even bother to deny her statement.  She gave his hand a squeeze and hurried out to get to Mina’s apartment as quickly as possible.  
  
Erra felt the anger building again as she pictured the awful stitching on Mina’s abdomen and her shouts.  She became more and more nervous thinking that he may attempt the same thing on Kougami and Ginoza while she was gone.  Why did that man even work in the enforcer’s medical ward where patients came so regularly?  Kamiya was worried about her team, especially her partner.  It enraged her that he was allowed to practice medicine while someone with far superior skill and ethics (as far as Kamiya was concerned) like Tetsuo Seki was forced into a different job...simply because of the difference in their psycho-pass numbers.  
  
Approaching Nakamura’s door, she was becoming beyond furious at the words Chief Kaisei had spoken against Ginoza...the way her enforcers were being treated like test subjects...the way a skilled and kind surgeon was reduced to menial duties like he was some kind of murderer.  It was more than clear that the system inside the CID was broken, and she had a new goal besides finding the truth about Ren.  Despite Gino’s warning not to care, she would do whatever it took to protect her new little family.  
  
Erra entered and tore through the apartment, loudly.  “Tetsuo.  Tetsuo!”  
  
********  
Tetsuo was startled out of his nap by someone shouting his name.  He was still sitting in the kitchen next to the bones, having dozed off while alone in the silence and heat of Mina’s apartment.  Rubbing his eyes, he realized it was Inspector Kamiya who sounded so urgent.  Her heels clacked loudly against the floor with her hurry.     
  
“Insp—,” but he was given no time to finish before she had grabbed him by the arm and was dragging him to a standing position.  
  
“Come on!  We need you in the infirmary right now, Tet!”  
  
“What…” he jerked his arm free a moment and managed to grab his scrubs top before she had him again, forcefully moving out the door.  She was quite strong for her size.  He thought it was no wonder she excelled in police work.  “Kami, what are we doing?  What’s going on?”  
  
He listened as the redhead explained briefly and said she would give him more information once they were in the ward.  She was clearly in an extreme hurry to return.  
  
Walking into the infirmary, he spotted three members of Division One passed out in adjacent hospital beds.  
  
“Damn it!” Erra shouted.  She crouched at her partner’s side and called his name but he wasn’t responding.  She started patting his cheek and muttering, “Wake up, wake up…Gino, you said he wouldn’t touch you, now wake up.”  
  
“Kami,” he put a hand on her shoulder, but was shrugged off.  She was beginning to freak out, breathing too rapidly, on the verge of panic.  
  
Seki, unable to think of anything else, pressed his hands to her cheeks, cupping her face.  “Inspector, I need to know what led to this.  You want me to fix it?  Look at me.” He waited until her teal eyes were on his.  “Breathe with me.  Okay?”   
  
She nodded, and he exaggerated his breathing so she could follow.  It didn't take long before she brought a hand up to his wrist and said, “It's my fault.  I didn't know they wouldn't be able to hold him off.  I let the doctor...”   
  
“What doctor?”   
  
“They needed to be stitched…all three of them, and he said he was the only one on the floor.  He... he hurt Nakamura.  She told him she didn't want any pain meds, and so he didn't even give her any anesthetic before digging in...”   
  
Guilty tears dripped down her cheeks, and he moved his thumbs to wipe them away. “Keep going.”   
  
“She screamed.  We went in, and all of us stayed while he worked on her.  None of them wanted meds.  He was supposed to just give them the local anesthetic.  Look at her stitches, Tet!  It looks like butchery!  I’m not even a doctor and I see that.  His name was Yoshitsu.”  As she said the name, he saw her guilt and sadness turn to anger.  She suddenly gasped loudly and pulled back Ginoza’s shirt to reveal some of the shittiest stitch work Tetsuo had ever seen.  “Son of a bitch!  I wasn’t gone that long.  These two were still awake!  He obviously didn't want to get caught!  Tet, he didn't even remove their shirts for full access.”  
  
“What do you remember about the shots?  Did you see that part?” Tetsuo seethed.  He was pretty sure he knew what the doctor had given them, and if he was correct, he would be paying a personal visit to the man.     
  
“Only what he used on Mina.  The first one, he used a lot, and it was an amber color.  The second was clear... it came out of a vial with...”   
  
“A gold band?” He finished, removing his hands from her face.     
  
“Yeah, do you know what it was?”  She asked.      
  
“I think I do.  Do you remember how much he gave them, Kamiya?”   
  
“No, I don't...” the redhead was getting mad at herself for not remembering.     
  
“Inspector, I need you to stay focused.  I can fix this.  All of it.  I can redo the butcher work he did on their wounds.  That won’t be a problem, but I need to know if he gave all of them something from the gold vial or only Mina.”  
  
“Just give me a minute and I’ll bring you this piece of shit!”  There were no traces now that she had ever been crying as she stormed toward the offices of the medical personnel.    
  
Looking at the three unconscious patients, he determined that Kougami needed the most immediate attention with the wound care.  He quickly plucked out the bad stitches and replaced them expertly with his own, steady surgeon’s hands moving swiftly, before moving to do the same with Inspector Ginoza.  
  
Seki was not an angry person.  In fact, he was fairly calm.  His psycho-pass had only gone up after that traumatic bus accident.  The weight of having to decide who lived and who died was too heavy.  It still haunted him.  That was the angriest he had ever been, until now.  Division One was _his_ team, and the quack had hurt them.  He'd hurt Mina and to Tetsuo, that was unacceptable.  
  
Moving to his little friend next, he found Mina's skin was unnaturally cold and sweaty.  Unlike the two others, her skin was pale, her pulse was thready, and her breath was much too slow.  Anxiety caused his hands to shake as they moved to check the wound.  Carefully, he pulled the bandage back just enough to reveal skin puckered with the worst stitch work he had ever seen.  The skin underneath looked like someone had dug around in it sloppily.  
  
Pulling his gaze to the side, he closed his eyes and inhaled a few times, steadying himself.  He needed to distance himself from the anxiety he felt knowing, if he had been here in the first place, she never would have ended up like this.  He tried, but it didn’t matter.  She was his “Chibi-chan” and seeing her in this state was gut-wrenching.  
  
Kamiya had said that the shit doctor had dug into Nakamura without the benefit of a numbing agent.  It was clear exactly where that happened, or at least, the ex-surgeon thought it was.  There was a section of her abdomen hacked and torn in a way that showed just how much of a sadist Yoshitsu was.  The nurse's imagination fueled him with an image of tweezers digging into flesh, and Chibi-Chan pushing the asshole's hands away causing further tears in her wound.   
  
He felt a sudden desire to storm to his office and bludgeon the man with a paperweight.   
  
As he worked, he found rage welling and overflowing.  The wound itself took little effort for him to correct and after having checked the three, he was pretty certain only Mina had been given the dangerous concoction from the gold vial.  He had to be sure, however.  After he cleaned his hands off and threw away his supplies, he splashed water on his eyes and cheeks, hoping to calm the swelling rage in his head.     
  
Yoshitsu should have been out the door with Seki’s first complaint.  Tetsuo had caught the man, more than once, trying to administer an experimental drug without the patient's consent.  When he brought his complaints directly to the chief, she had told him that Yoshitsu was there to test a new drug and that he would be admonished for his behavior, but kept on the staff.  He was told that because he himself was a latent criminal, he really had no place to criticize the work of a normal member of Sybil Society.  He’d made sure to stay out of sight of Chief Kaisei since her rude comment, but the blonde had kept a close eye on the man since then.    
  
Later, the whole medical staff had been given a pamphlet and a presentation on the new drug.  It was a pointless drug in this setting, and Tetsuo had voiced his opinion.  There was no reason to administer that shit to anyone in the CID.  It had awful side effects, most often in the form of hallucinations.  The enforcers and inspectors were under enough stress as it was.    
  
The drug had been originally designed with the purpose of helping those who had lost the ability to react to stimuli, hence the hallucinogen.  It was supposed to keep the brain more active, and even though it skewed the senses, at the very least, the patients would be awake.    
  
What he couldn’t comprehend was the concept of using it on people who weren’t already stimulus resistant. They simply wanted to see how others would react to the drug.  The literature had touted that they wanted to get data about the side effects on people who had issues with a cloudy hue.  Maybe they could use it for therapy in the future.  It was a stupid idea in his opinion, but he was willing to give them the benefit of a doubt.  Maybe he didn’t completely understand the pharmacology.    
  
But, that didn’t explain using it on latents outside of a rehab facility.    
       
“Why here?” he had asked at the presentation, but he was only afforded vague answers and the shuffling off his concerns as being invalid because of his latent status.  
  
It was clear they meant to use the latent population as guinea pigs for this experimental drug, and as it was apparently meant to help come up with better solutions for psycho-pass prescription medication, that made perfect sense to the young nurse…but why not latents that were living in rehab instead of ones with active jobs helping the community as a whole?  Why endanger your own workforce for something that was supposedly meant as only a test?  
  
It made no sense, and Tetsuo had been worried about it for weeks now.  
  
Just then he could make out the sounds of struggling as Inspector Kamiya hauled the stout little doctor around the corner and into view.  “Now.  Just like I said.  You _sit_ _here_ and you answer the questions he has, or you’re not going to like the beating I give you.  I can promise it won’t make a difference in my hue, because there’s no doubt in my mind you deserve it.”  Seki didn’t even know it was possible for the usually bubbly inspector to sound so deadly.  He felt a surge of affection for the woman, while making a note never to land on her bad side.  
  
Yoshitsu looked up at the woman holding him in the seat and flinched a little under her glare, before turning to look at him.  
   
“Can I help you _Nurse_ Seki?”   
  
Tetsuo had never considered himself a violent man, but the person sitting in front of him was testing him.  “I want to know why you administered an experimental drug to three people without their consent.  I want to know why you can't even do a basic suture.  I want to know why you hurt, rather than helped, patients in this infirmary--and most dangerously for you, I want to know why you chose to hurt _any_ member of Division One!” He had moved to stand in front of Yoshitsu, and was towering over the sandy-haired man.   
  
“Nurse Seki, I am sure that you don't have your facts straight.  I did see two enforcers and an inspector today, but....” He stood, obviously uncomfortable with how far up he was having to look.  The lead nurse still had to look down to see the so-called-doctor.     
  
“No excuses, doctor.  You are a disgrace to the field of medicine...” he didn't recognize the menace in his own voice.   
  
“What does it matter?  I certainly don’t see what has the _inspector_ so upset, anyway.  These are latent criminals, after all.  They have no actual purpose once that happens,” he argued, straightening his tie, looking pompous.     
  
A growl left Tetsuo, and it was the only warning Yoshitsu got before he was hauled to the nearest wall, hitting so hard things fell off the wall wish a crash.     
  
“Get a hold of yourself, Nurse!  What about your crime co-efficient?  See reason,” he tried to push his attacker away, but was unsuccessful.  Tetsuo was struggling to keep his hand from going around the asshole's throat.  He needed to ask how much each of them were given, but his anger was clouding his focus.     
  
Slamming him hard against the wall once more, he growled, “Maybe you’re not aware, but _I’m_ a latent.”  Yoshitsu flinched.  “The i _nspector_ cares because you just shot her partner, the top detective in the bureau by the way, full of an experimental hallucinogen, as well as _valuable_ members of her team.”  
  
“You’re mistaken!  Only the woman got the test drug.  The other two were only sedated so I could sew their wounds.”  Behind him, Seki heard Kamiya let out a loud sigh.  
  
Tetsuo barked, “How heavily did you fucking sedate them?  It only required a local!  They shouldn’t be out like that from those stitches!  You didn't even take the time to prep them!  How much, Yoshitsu?”  
  
“I-I don’t recall!”  
  
Tetsuo's temper was out of control.  He used that moment to pull him from the wall and slam his forehead into a med cart full of tools.  That sound of the metal scattering was gratifying.  More gratifying still, a trickle of blood leaked from the man’s head where he had caught the blade of a scalpel.   
  
“Wrong answer.  Think.  Think _really_ hard.”  What was this idiot doing here?  It was clear he was sent with some nefarious purpose.  This could be no accident.  “You will never practice medicine again.  Not a single finger of yours will ever touch another member of Division One.  Ever.”    
  
He brought the man back up by his hair and threw him back into the chair.  “Yoshitsu, I have enough evidence to make sure all of that happens.  It would behoove you to tell people that you fell down and had an accident if they ask about your head.”  He leaned over the chair.  “I don't know why you are really here, but I am going to fix your mistakes, and by the time I come in to work tomorrow, you will be gone.  I trust we have an understanding... Now, you are going to tell me exactly how much of each drug you gave them.”     
  
The guy looked frightened now, and he should be.  Tetsuo was sure that the expression he wore came across as murderous, but he kept on imagining Yoshitsu's hands on his people, and the rage wouldn't stop.  Rambling off the amounts each person received, the doctor paled.     
  
“Why the _fuck_ did you give the largest amount of sedative to the smallest person?” he seethed.     
  
“I... I.. the chief...” the doctor stuttered and his eyes widened before clamping his mouth closed.  
  
“I don’t have time for this!”  Tetsuo raised his fist to punch the man in the face only to be met with Inspector Kamiya’s firm grasp on his wrist.  
  
“Seki!  Enough!  We have what we need.”  He jerked his fist free and his eyes were still furious as he stared at her.  She repeated, “That’s enough.”  Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself until he noticed Kami’s eyes roll back in her head while she muttered, “Shit.”  Releasing her grip and gesturing behind him, Tetsuo saw the doctor attempting to make a run for it.  
  
Growling again, he grabbed a syringe off the tray he’d been working from, caught up to him in a few strides, and dropped him to the ground.  It took virtually no effort for the 6’2” nurse to hold the small, squirming man to the floor while injecting a high dose of sedative.  A few more minutes of the man struggling before he was out cold, and Tetsuo walked back over to Mina in order to check her vitals again.  
  
He’d seen the shocked look on Kamiya’s face when he’d walked back over.  He wasn’t proud of himself, but there was nothing to be done about it now.  Without facing her, he directed firmly, “Get Masaoka up here.  Have him get this asshole out of the way.”  
  
********  
Kamiya was in further than she had intended to go, but it was certainly too late now.  Her mind was racing.  Yoshitsu had clearly not intended to mention the chief and looked terrified once he had.  She was still trying to connect the details between why Chief Kaisei would order this useless man to pump her enforcer with a heavy dose of drugs.  What could the woman hope to gain?  She didn’t have time to concentrate on it now, though.    
  
Pushing the button on the comm on her wrist, she brought up Masaoka.  
  
His voice sounded as cheerful as always, but he said, “Miss Sass!  It’s about time we heard from you.  We were getting a little anxious wondering if you lot were coming back.  What can I do for you?”  
  
She took a deep breath.  “It’s not good, Pops.”  
  
“What isn’t?”  His voice now had that rough edge it took on when he was serious.  “Are you hurt?  Where's your partner?  Where are the others?”  
  
“We’re in the infirmary.  I’m the only one that _wasn’t_ hurt.”  She had planned to continue explaining, but the line had gone dead.  Masaoka had ended the call abruptly.  Looking at the dead weight that Dr. Yoshitsu presented her, Kamiya thought she would give it a minute and try again.    
  
She had barely had time to walk back over to her partner’s bed, when Pops came quickly through the doors and directly to Ginoza’s side.  Trying to shake him awake, wearing an expression of worry rarely seen on the old detective, Erra’s face went pale with the sudden realization as to why Gino’s eyes looked so familiar without his glasses.  
  
“Nobuchika, wake up, son,” he commanded.  As the pair of green eyes that belonged to Gino’s father met with hers, Kami suddenly felt like she’d been in the dark for much too long.  “What happened?”  
  
She explained briefly and Masaoka motioned for her to hold her thoughts, while he lifted Yoshitsu over his shoulder and carried him to deposit in one of the empty rooms.  It took him little effort and he was back in no time.  
  
“So, Nurse Seki said these two are fine…just taking a bit to wake up, right?” he confirmed, back to acting as if these were all mere co-workers.  
  
“That’s right.”  There was a long pause before she continued, not bothering to hide the shock, “Gino is your son?”  
  
“Sass, you know I call all the young guys here ‘son,’” he attempted.  
  
“But he’s your actual son…isn’t he?  You’re Nobuchika’s father.”  
  
“If he hears you say that, we’ll both catch hell.”  He said, looking surprisingly nervous while scratching the back of his head, eyes flicking to Ginoza's sleeping form.  
  
“Pops, you know I’m not afraid of him,” Erra said placing her hand atop the old man’s.  
  
“You certainly aren't,” he chuckled softly, “and neither am I, but...” He looked so inconceivably sad and tender, bringing his gaze back Ginoza.  “He has taken great pains to keep the fact hidden, and I agree that he should.  He should distance himself from me and my path as much as he can.  I don't want him to live this life.”   
  
Kamiya could see the hurt in the old man's eyes.  “You really love him.  You say he should distance himself, but I can see that the way he regards you hurts.”     
  
Masaoka switched their hand positions so that he was patting hers fondly.  “He's my only child.  I ruined his life, Inspector, and I can't blame him for being more than a little angry.”     
  
“I wish he would be more open about personal matters,” she said wistfully.  “He can trust me.  I know a bit on the subject of children dealing with latent criminal parents.  I’ve actually studied it rather extensively.”     
  
Masaoka looked at her not with surprise but understanding.  “Be patient, Sass, and maybe he will.  It’s been a long time since he’s called someone ‘friend.’  The fact that he's willing to do that, with his partner no less, is something I never imagined he'd allow.  Not after Kougami.  You must be something really special.”  He was smiling at her, lines crinkling on the sides of his eyes.     
  
Erra deliberated on whether she should say what she was thinking.  “Ginoza may still be angry after all these years, but I sincerely hope that one day you two can come together...find support in each other in the future.  If it helps, I think he knows somewhere deep inside that he is lucky to be able to work with you.  He takes a certain pride in your achievements.”    
  
The woman thought of all the times she would catch Ginoza glancing almost fondly at their top enforcer any time he did something that may warrant praise.  Finding out they were father and son helped explain much of the behavior she had witnessed between the two men.  Now that that fact had been put out in the open, there was no way she couldn't notice it.        
  
“I look forward to the day that may come to pass, but honestly, I don’t expect that from Nobuchika.  For now, I’m satisfied seeing him so often.  I missed out on so many of the best years, and I am grateful for every single day— even the ones when he's extra stubborn and irritable.  Parents love their children, even when they are at their worst, I suppose.”  He looked a little uncomfortable talking so candidly.  Erra assumed that this was conversation he rarely, if ever, had.     
  
She laughed lightly.  “Those are the times when I find him the most endearing, Pops.  He’s like a little wounded bird that needs protecting,” she said smiling.    
  
Masaoka laughed rather loudly over that and Kamiya was glad to see her quest to snap him back to his normal demeanor was successful.  “I dare you to tell him that to his face, Inspector!”  
  
“I said it was endearing, not that I wanted him to murder me,” she laughed.  “One day, you are going to tell me what that man was like as a little kid.”     
  
“I may just do that, as long as it’s our little secret,” he said, swiping his index finger across the tip of his nose and winking.  Erra copied his gesture and pat his arm, as Masaoka stared warmly at his son once more.  
  
“Alright,” he said.  “If you’ve got it under control here, then I guess it’s back to work.”   
  
She nodded.  “As soon as he wakes, we’ll join you,” she added, sharing another smile before Masaoka headed out of the infirmary.  
  
Seki had been patiently waiting for her to finish her conversation before he told her that it was fine for Ginoza to be woken from sedation.  Kougami and Mina had deeper cuts and he would let them continue sleeping for now.  Tetsuo gave him an injection that was meant to reverse the heavy sedative Dr. Yoshitsu had given.  
  
“Just a few moments, Inspector, and he’ll start to wake up, but I should tell you—he won’t be in full control of all of his senses right away.  It’s bound to be interesting,” Seki added with a smirk, before seating himself next to Nakamura once more.  
  
Erra returned his smirk, recalling many a therapy patient she had been with after sedation.  Seki was right.  Ginoza not in control would be very interesting, indeed.  She raked her fingers through his hair until finally his eyelids fluttered open.  He sat up slightly and then lay his head right back again, sighing and repeating the process three or four more times.   
  
Finally he spoke, words heavily slurred, “You were supposed to go get him.”  
  
“Who?”  
  
“That nurse we like, with the white hair.”  
  
“Seki?” she puzzled, amusement rising over his words.  
  
“Yes!  Ssseki.  That’s an interesting name.”    
  
She stifled a giggle.  “I did get him.  See?  He’s right there, with Nakamura.”  Erra put her hands to each of his cheeks and turned him to face ‘the nurse they liked, with the white hair.’  
  
“Hey!  That’s the one.  Hey, I like your work, guy.”  His words were rather slurred and the man could barely hold his head up on his own for more than a few moments and Kamiya found his current helplessness somewhat adorable.  
  
“I’m very flattered, Inspector.  Thank you.  Truly,” Seki answered.  Erra couldn't help notice that the young nurse _did_ look rather flattered by her partner's unrestrained compliment.  
  
“Mm,” he grunted with a slight nod.  Turning back to meet Erra’s tickled gaze, he put a hand to the one of hers on his right cheek.  “Hmph."  He inhaled slowly, "Your hands are so soft.”  
  
“Thanks?”  She wasn’t sure how to respond to that.  
  
“Really soft…like silk.  Seki, you think she feels this soft all over?”  
  
“ _Whoa_ , there, big guy,” said Tetsuo, completely about to lose it.  “Why don’t you try _not_ to talk until you’re a little more awake, ok?”    
  
“Sure…” he said, but by the time he looked at Erra again, he seemed to have forgotten agreeing to shut up.  “You know I'm terribly attracted to you, don't you?"  She couldn't help it.  She snorted and flicked her eyes to Seki, shrugging her shoulders.  She knew Gino would be terribly embarrassed later.  Trying to shush him was no use.  "Have I kissed you yet?”  
  
“No.  I’m afraid not.”  She and Tetsuo were really struggling to hold in the laughter now.  He would surely be mortified to know the words had come out of his mouth.  
  
“That’s too bad.”  Then in a low, throaty voice, Gino added, “But you can’t stop picturing my lips on you now, can you?”  
  
Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second before speaking, “Ok, Gino.  You’re obviously delirious if you think that line would work on anyone.”  He pouted while she addressed Seki, who looked beyond shocked to have heard such words from Inspector Ginoza of _all_ people.  “Tet, I’ll come back for this lunatic in a half hour, alright?”  
  
After the platinum-haired nurse nodded his understanding, Kami started out of the room, heading for HQ.  She turned her head just once to see the green eyes of her partner watching her with a boldness she’d never seen, as well as a smirk that could have made any woman weak.  
  
Out of site, Erra leaned against the wall in the hallway, as if clutching her chest and squeezing her eyes shut could drive away the image of her partner’s lips eagerly devouring hers.  
  
  
 ** _To Be Continued..._**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some artwork of characters and such:  
> http://thatgingahninja.deviantart.com/gallery/56634101/Original-Character-Commissions


	12. Unstable Mindset

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-authored by jolibrix 
> 
> Ginoza has to choose whether or not he will start opening his eyes to the mounting injustice at work in the Bureau.   
> Tetsuo tries to help in his own way by looking after Mina and trying to come up with a connection between her and this dangerous new drug.
> 
>  
> 
> *COMMENTS TRULY MAKE OUR DAY! ^__^*

After twenty minutes of resting and drinking water, Ginoza was mostly back to his regular self…a bit on the tired side and a little sore in the shoulder, but otherwise he felt fine.  
  
“Inspector Kamiya should be back for you in a few minutes.”  
  
“I’m perfectly capable of walking back to HQ myself.”  
  
“I’d wait if I were you, Tiger.”  
  
“Tiger?!”   
  
“I call it like I see it, Inspector.  Besides, I think it’s safe to say your shirt was ruined.  Unless, you want to go topless to your office, you’ll have to wait for your partner,” the nurse said, grinning from ear to ear and clearly trying to hold in laughter.  He muttered something the inspector couldn’t clearly make out, but it sounded like, “…probably prefer that with Kamiya…”  
  
Ginoza tried to give the man a scowl that would have most people running, but apparently he had lost his touch, because Seki just continued smiling.   
  
“Let me do a quick check-up, Inspector, then I can accurately decide whether to let you off on your own.”  He pulled out a penlight and instructed Gino to look at him.  “Do you feel lightheaded, woozy, or like your limbs are floating?”     
  
“Maybe a little lightheaded, but nothing major.”   
  
“Are you hallucinating in any way?”   
  
Gino shook his head.   
  
“Try rotating your shoulder for me...good... Now, are there any blank spots in your memory?  Can you remember the last hour and a half?”   
  
“Of course not, I just woke up thirty minutes ago,” he scoffed.  One look at Seki's smirking face made anxiety ache through his chest.  “I _didn't_ just wake up half an hour ago?”     
  
Tetsuo shook his head. “Try an hour and a half.”     
  
“Why are you looking at me like that?”   _What had he done that warranted such hilarity?_  “What happened?”     
  
The nurse placed a hand on Gino's non-injured shoulder and said sincerely, “Don't worry, Inspector.  You didn't do anything too crazy.  Most people react the same way to heavy sedation.  For many, it just makes them honest and blunt.”  Seki let loose a short chuckle.  “It kind of takes away your filters when you first come out of it.”     
  
“What did I do?  What did I say?” he asked, mortified at the thought of what might have flown out of his mouth.  The man standing beside the bed wasn't helping matters by obviously holding in laughter and grinning so wide Gino feared his mouth would split.     
  
“Nothing too bad, I suppose... but to be fair, it was your partner you were talking to most of the time.  It might be best to ask her.  Oh, and it is doctor's orders that you stay put until she comes to retrieve you.”     
  
The inspector couldn't be sure, but he swore he heard the word “tiger” under Seki's breath again.  An unexpected growl left Gino’s throat.   
What could he have possibly said to Kamiya?  No filters....did he say something terribly lewd?  He did have a problem keeping his mind away from that kind of thinking when it came to her.  How embarrassing would it be to find out he said something highly inappropriate to her?  Was that why Tetsuo was wearing that smirk?  What if he had revealed all of his feelings about her?  In a way, that would be worse, because those feelings were very real and very intense, and Kamiya thinking of them as just a drug induced joke made him cringe.   
  
He sat in the hospital bed worrying over what he couldn't remember.  His mind was caught in a loop, imagining all of the possibilities.     
  
It wasn't until he looked at the bed beside him, the one he had last seen Kougami in, that he paused his fretting.  He had been awake and completely forgotten to ask about his team.  Maybe Tetsuo was right to keep him under supervision.  “Seki!”  He yelled and it sounded ridiculously loud in the quiet room.     
  
The nurse appeared at his side, looking worried.  “What's wrong?”     
  
“Nothing.  I mean, what happened to…” he glanced nervously at the empty cot.   
  
The nurse rolled a stool to sit beside the bed.  “Kougami is okay.”   
  
Ginoza interrupted by letting out a loud breath that he had not realized he had been holding.  Kou was okay.  The inspector had noticed that over the past few months, he and Kou would sometimes find themselves acting as they had as friends.   
  
Seki continued. “His back was in bad shape, but I was able to make it look, at least, a little better.  Your shoulder is re-stitched as well.  Both of you were just sedated, so once those side effects wear off, you should be good to go.”       
  
“Where is that doctor right now?” he asked, feeling alarm.  “That bastard needs to be removed immediately!  Someone needs to find him and make sure he doesn't...”   
  
“Calm down.  He is passed out in another room with security drones right outside the door.  He is going to be escorted off of the property when he finally wakes up.  Your partner put a lot of fear into that man.  She and I have been communicating with the powers that be to make sure he never practices medicine again.”  The former doctor was grimmer and angrier than Gino had ever seen before.     
  
“They aren’t going to take him to a rehab facility?  Certainly he couldn’t have had a passable hue!”  
  
“It seems his hue and numbers were both fine…better than mine.”  There was no mistaking the confusion and frustration in Seki’s voice.  
  
Ginoza didn’t blame him.  A brief thought to Makashima and the other criminally asymptomatic population made him shiver.  The chief had divulged that much, but she had neglected to give him an idea of just how many of these deviants existed in Sybil Society.  
  
He thought for a moment, trying to get his thoughts to work in sync...there was something he meant to ask.  Ah, Tetsuo had failed to mention Hound 4's condition.  He could see she was still passed out in the bed on the other side of him and that she looked quite pale and restless in sleep.  
  
Worry over the newest enforcer's wellbeing seeped through his voice.  “Nakamura?”  He kind of dreaded the answer, but after a moment, realized that Seki would not be smiling about anything if there was something seriously wrong with Mina.  Ginoza knew that the two were close.     
  
“I think she will be okay.  Can't be completely sure until she wakes up.  It's actually kind of amazing, considering the massive dose of a harmful experimental drug Yoshitsu gave her.  She should be dead.  I'm baffled at her reaction to it, honestly.  There’s still a chance it may leave her completely mentally unsound.  It has a strong hallucinogenic component, even in really small doses.  Her vitals are stable though.”  The nurse looked over his shoulder at the woman.    
  
“Why give her that?  Why only her?  What purpose would that serve to fix a mere injury?”  Ginoza was growing more concerned over the circumstances by the second.  Surely the chief hadn’t known this man was capable of something this unjust.   
  
“None.  I don't know what exactly is happening, Inspector, but that brings up my next point.  She was targeted for this.  This was no accident, and it was meant to kill her or completely take her out of commission.  As to whether it was Mina specifically, or just the first latent that came in injured, I couldn’t guess.”  There was a pause as Seki's gaze fell back on Nakamura, mouth turned down in a grim line.    
  
“Inspector, when we questioned Yoshitsu, he mentioned the chief, as though she had ordered it.”  
  
“Seki,” Ginoza began in a warning tone.  
  
“I know, sir!  I know it’s not my place!  Just…just hear me out, just this once,” he begged.  
  
Gino should most definitely have declined, but the truth was that he was beyond curious as to what exactly was going on, as well.  That kind of curiosity continued to land him in hot water.  He should just keep his head down and keep moving forward…but he motioned for Tetsuo to continue.  
  
“I would never say anything against the woman.  She’s the whole reason latent criminals like me are even able to have a job—but why would he bring her up?  Why mention her as though she might get him out of this mess and then clam up when he’d realized his mistake…like he was frightened of Chief Kaisei.  The very same chief that has been fighting me tooth and nail because I have been trying to get that guy thrown out.  I've complained about him more than once.    
So, I guess what I’m getting at is that I think that all of us need to tread carefully, but keep ourselves sharp, because something is very wrong here.  If I’m wrong, us latent criminals will be the ones punished and you may lose your jobs, _but if I’m right_ , something much more valuable than a job is on the line here.”    
  
Ginoza knew.  He knew Seki was referring to their lives.  That’s what made him want to keep his head down and ignore even the possibility of a threat.  Kagari.  Akane.  What if his father were next?  Or Kougami?  Or…  
  
“If I were you,” Seki continued, “I would keep an eye on Kamiya.  She has already caught the notice of Kaisei and after today, it seems that might not be such a good thing.  After what I’ve seen from your partner today, she doesn’t strike me as the type to let sleeping dogs lie, but if she were to accuse the chief of this directly— Forgive me for speaking out against your superior, sir, but I don’t think that it’s wise for   
  
Kamiya to be alone for long with that…”  
  
Nurse Seki’s head snapped up quickly as the door slid open, “There you are, Inspector.  I was afraid you may leave this troublemaker with me forever!”  
  
The laugh that Ginoza enjoyed so much floated into the room.  “You don’t deserve such punishment after your hard work today, Tetsuo,” she teased, winking at her partner.    
  
Gino would have smiled back, but Seki’s worrisome words were still echoing around his mind along with images of the chief torturing the young woman.   
  
“How are you feeling?” she stated as she came to his bedside.  He shook his head to rid himself of the odd visions.  
  
He could hear the rapid thrum of his heartbeat in his ears.   _Where did that come from?_ he wondered.  He had never had thoughts that Kaisei were capable of such things before, had he?    
  
“I'm fine,” he muttered.  “Ready to leave the damned bed.”  He fidgeted to make his point clear.  He was going stir crazy just lying there.     
  
“Hey, at least you're not like Kougami, Inspector.  That guy is in here enough for us to start charging him rent.  To be fair, he doesn't like being bed ridden either, though,” Tetsuo stated from across the room where he was checking Nakamura's vitals again.     
  
His partner laughed at the joke, and without realizing it, he found himself smiling, but immediately lost the sentiment when he thought back to his recent memory loss.  He was probably about to find out how much private information he’d let slip to his partner.    
  
The woman sat on the stool previously occupied by Seki.  “So we are good to leave?” she asked.     
  
“Not yet.  I have to get a doctor to sign the paperwork.  They should have done it by now, but I don't see it in the system.  I’ve seen some back from Division II’s mission, so I'll just go track one down.”   
  
As they heard the door close behind the nurse, Erra and Gino eyed each other.  He was looking at her face and carriage, hoping to glean just how much of an ass he had made of himself earlier.  She didn't seem uncomfortable and certainly wasn't angry.    
  
 _Thank goodness!_ he thought to himself.  If she would have been angry with him, he didn't know what the hell he would have done, seeing as he didn't know _what the hell he had done_.  Her face was betraying a slight bit of amusement and a great deal of relief.  The man still wanted to know what exactly he had said, but for now, he was happy knowing his partner wasn't showing him any ill will.     
  
“You worried me for a while.  You promised he wouldn’t touch you, ya know?” she asked, tilting her head with a reflective smile.  
  
“I apologize.  He asked if he could simply look at the wound and the next thing I know, Seki is shining a penlight in my eyes,” he lamented.  
  
“Not your fault,” she muttered.  The two stared at one another for a few awkward moments before Erra suddenly blushed and said, “Oh!  I—I had Masaoka bring a shirt for you to put on.  I’m afraid it may be a bit large.  I just knew you would want to go straight back to work after this…though no one will think less of you if you want to go home.”  
  
He shook his head.  “I want to stay.  Thank you,” he said, and slipped his arms into the shirt, buttoning it slowly.  “Kamiya, I am sorry for earlier.  I don't remember.  If I said anything to you that was...”   
  
“Ginoza, you didn't tell me anything I didn't already know.”  Her smile lit up her whole face.     
  
The tension in his shoulders and neck loosened, only to tighten back up with her next words.     
  
“I did learn something new, though,” her eyes were focused on his.  He knew what that lilt in her voice meant.     
  
“Oh?  What did you learn?”    
  
She said that _he_ hadn't said anything new, but the expression on her face and the tone of her voice made him nervous.  It was like Erra knew she was about to say something he wouldn't want to hear.  He was becoming quite familiar with her looking at him like that.       
  
She was staring at him intently, and seemed to be considering whether or not she should speak.  Sighing, she started, “So, I learned that Masaoka had a son today.”  
  
He felt his own mouth fall open to somehow deny the truth and then quickly close again.  It was clear to see that she knew his secret.  Finally, he accused, “He _told_ you?”    
  
“No.  No, of course not.  I figured it out.  I’m a little ashamed with how long it took, to be honest.”    
  
He suddenly felt very conscious of his eyes.  Her gaze was still trained on them, and he knew why.  It was one unmistakable thing he had in common with his father.  With jerky movements he grabbed his glasses off the tray beside the bed and put them on—straightening them, pulling them off, cleaning them, and uneasily straightening them once more.  Finally, looking at her again, he saw her mouth stretched into a disappointed straight line.   
  
“You didn’t trust me enough to tell me something like this yourself?” she admonished.    
  
“You didn’t tell me you _were married_ ,” he countered.  They both had secrets…likely very many more secrets.  Now, at least, they shared these two.      
  
“Fair point,” she said a bit grudgingly.  After another contemplative pause, she began, “Are you really that ashamed?  It seems like it would be...”   
  
“How things seem and what they _are_ can be very different.  Don’t try to analyze me!” he snapped, and then laid back in the bed with a groan.  His head was swimming a bit more than before.  What he wouldn't give to not be having this conversation.     
  
He had expected her to get angry at him for snapping and cutting her off and to try to argue with him, but as usual, his partner surprised him.  The woman simply studied his expression.  There was no judgment or pity, just patience.  He felt guilty for snapping without being provoked.  
  
“Kamiya, I...”     
  
“I want to hear you say it.”  His stomach flip-flopped over the words…or perhaps it was at the desperate look in her teal eyes.  She looked almost eager for him to continue.  “Please.  Tell me out loud, just once.  I’ll never ask you to do so again.  Just admit to me from your own mouth that you are his son.”   
  
The phrase slipped out, “The _criminal_ Tomomi Masaoka is my father.”  It actually felt rather relieving to say aloud.  He didn’t know if he would ever repeat that exact sentence and he had never said it before, but he seemed more and more unable to tell his partner ‘no’ when she had a request like that.  He was almost afraid of how at ease she was able to make him feel.  In fact, the shame and stigma he had expected to bombard him with the open statement were non-existent.   
  
The smile on her face was genuine—almost relieved.  He found it a bit irritating that the statement seemed to make her so happy.  It was unsettling to be around someone not instantly distressed by being in the presence of a latent criminal’s child.  
  
Still smiling, she said, “Now that I see it, I can't un-see it.  I know you don't want to hear this, but you two seem to have quite a bit in common.  You are both really damned stubborn, and...”     
  
“Please.  You’re right—I _don’t_ want to hear this, so please don't start.”  Whatever she was about to say would be the truth, and he simply didn't want to have to deal with it.  He lived in fear of becoming just like his father, latency and all.  That’s what he was supposed to do.  That’s what everyone expected of someone in his position.    
  
“Would you—would you tell me more about what happened some day?  Not how he became…I mean, once he left—how did you…”  Her gaze was on his hand lying on top of the crisp, white hospital sheet.  For once, she actually seemed too nervous to look him in the eye.   
  
Ginoza was floored by her tenacity, and he didn't see why anyone would want to know such a thing.  “Don’t be ridiculous!  Why do you care?  I don’t want to be some mental test subject for you!”     
  
The pitch of her words let him know she was a little hurt by the question and again he felt a stab of guilt. “Test sub…how could you?  You can be very mean-spirited sometimes...and that’s a stupid question!   _Why do I care?_  Because I can!  I fell apart right in front of you, and you didn’t mock me for it or try to make it disappear.  You just let me have those terrible emotions and made sure I kept out of trouble.  You let me mourn and kept me safe from scanners!  I _care_ about you, Gino!   _Of course_ , I care!”   
  
She gave him a _why-can't-you-see-that_ look and said, “You’re my friend and I’m here if you need or want _anything_.  I mean it, ok?  Anything.”   
  
“Hmph,” he grunted.   _What if what I want is you?_ he thought.  The two of them looked away, but she left her hand resting on his.  He didn’t know what to say to that.  He didn’t know if there even _was_ a right way to respond.   
  
When Seki reentered the room, she didn't jump or remove her hand from atop his.  He, on the other hand, twitched and fought the urge to throw her hand off of the bed, as if it was some nefarious position.  It was an irrational reaction, and luckily he was able to control his reflexes.     
  
“You are good to go, inspector,” the nurse said.   
  
With that he practically launched himself from the bed, as though by getting out of the damned thing he could leave the uncomfortable conversation and situation behind.  It took a second for his head to stop throbbing from standing too quickly, but once it passed, he left the infirmary without a second glance, not bothering to tell Tetsuo goodbye.  His partner was keeping up with his quick pace, sticking to his side, probably expecting him to pass out or something.  Gino used the walk back to the office to sort through his thoughts.      
  
Trying not to think about his conversation with Kami didn’t help, because the talk he’d had before that wasn’t any more pleasant.  He couldn't shake Tetsuo's cautionary words about the chief.  Kamiya had already told him that something was off about Kaisei very early on, and he had tried to pass it off as his partner's nerves, even though he knew that it probably wasn't.     
  
Ginoza had consciously tried not to think about the chief.  After she had urged him to kill Kougami, it was the only way to keep himself from falling into the same damned hole his father and Shinya had dug for themselves.  Even Masaoka had warned him not to question such things.  It wouldn't do to think too hard on it, but because he was who he was, it always lingered in the back of his mind—frustrating him—reminding him that he _was_ like his father.      
  
This whole situation was putting enough facts right in front of his face that he could no longer sit back and make excuses.  Kamiya had managed to draw their superior's attention, that was for sure, and he knew what it was like to be put in that position.  The further away from the situation he got, the more he was able to see times that he’d been used.  How would Kaisei manipulate his partner?  He tried to imagine Kami’s reaction to being ordered to kill one of their hounds using destroy decomposer, even though the person's crime coefficient was below 300.  It wouldn't work.  She wouldn't hesitate to tell Kaisei 'no', of that much, he was sure.   
  
It did not help that Kami now had even more reason to harbor negative emotions toward the chief.  Despite his advice, she and Nakamura had become close.  Now that Hound 4 was clearly targeted, his partner wasn't going to let her animosity go.  The attempt at his enforcer's life and sanity was such a blatant move, he had trouble putting that particular puzzle piece in place.  Ginoza was angry that this was something he couldn't figure out.     
  
The whole mess was thick, hard to wade through, and made his thought processes feel like they were moving through mud.  It made him feel ineffectual as an inspector.  Chancing a glance at his partner, he wondered over her placement with Division One.  He was positive that Kaisei put her there to keep tabs on him, and make sure he did the job correctly, but was that Kamiya's take on it?   
  
What if she was really there to point out his faults... bring his downfall?  What if this was all an act?  It physically hurt to think of her not actually caring about him or his team.  His enforcers had taken well to her, and they all worked well together, and he was attached in more ways than one.    
  
Clenching his fist, Nobuchika brought himself back to reality, remembering that night she had cried in his arms.  Unconsciously, he brought his hand to the part of his sleeve she had held onto for so long.  She had clung to him in her vulnerability, and it meant something to her.  That was clear when she brought it up again just earlier in the infirmary.  No, there was no way her actions and feelings were a façade.  That night, he had seen Kami without one of her many masks.       
  
“You okay, Gino?”  Her voice cut through his thoughts.     
  
“Yeah.  I'm fine.”  They had made it to his private office, and he gestured for her to follow him inside.   
  
“I suppose you are wanting to talk about the attempt on Mina's life,” she cut right to the chase.     
  
“I do.  Do you think it is because of the remains?”  He shook his own head before she could answer.  “No.  That doesn't make sense.  If they knew we had them, they could easily raid her dorm and indict all of us.  They could do that openly with no problems.”   
  
“I agree.”  Kami grit her teeth and made an angry growl.  “I just don't see why Mina would be targeted.  I mean, if they don’t like her or don’t trust her, why not just chuck her back in rehab?”  She crossed her arms and paced the floor.     
  
“In rehab, she would still be alive and sane... at least, for a while,” he pointed out, rubbing the center of his head.  The ache was back, throbbing behind his eyes. “Maybe those responsible were under a time constraint, and that’s why they didn't wait to go through the channels of putting her back in a facility.”      
  
“So, you’re thinking that the point was to debilitate her mind or kill her.  I agree.” Erra bit her lip, obviously thinking.  “And in rehab, she could still talk.  Maybe....I don't know.  There’s no proof, but it feels to me that Nakamura was specifically targeted to receive the overdose, and I don’t know why!  I need to think more on this.”  Her carriage told him that she was exhausted.  It had been a very long day.       
  
“Just don’t do anything rash, okay?”  
  
“What do you imagine I’ll do, Gino?”  She asked, seeming genuinely curious.  
  
“Tch.  I don’t know, just be cautious.  Please.”  The smile his request put on her face made him feel very weak.  Clearing his throat, he said,   
  
“Thank you for today, Kamiya.”     
  
“I thought we agreed on, at least, calling me ‘Kami.’  You owe me one,” she said, giving another small, tired smile.     
  
“You’re right.  We did agree.  Go home, Kami.  Get rest.”   
  
“I _am_ going to have to see the chief tomorrow, Gino.  There’s no way I can pretend this didn’t happen.”  He tried to interrupt, but she pressed on, “I won’t say anything that gets me in hot water, all right?  I have no intention of losing my job or my standing, but something like this can’t be allowed to happen again.  I won’t stay down here, and act like I was okay with any of that.”  
  
Ginoza nodded.  He hadn’t expected that she would.  He must have been wearing his worry obviously, because she added, “I’ll take that favor, if you wouldn’t mind coming in a little early and escorting me to her office?”     
  
“After what happened today, I wouldn't dream of letting you in that situation alone.”  The two again let their gazes linger on one another in silence before the redhead nodded and stepped towards the exit.  
  
She rubbed a hand slightly over her eyes, and mumbled, “I think I will take your advice on going home.  You’ve been quite a handful today.”   
  
“Just a minute, Kami,” he called.  She turned with a smile on her lips.  It still seemed to please her so much to hear him call her a more casual name and he had already admitted to himself that he loved the response.    
  
The corner of his own mouth twitched slightly upward before saying, “I’d like to make a deal.  I will give you my word that the two of us will talk more about my father at some point, _if_ you will tell me what foolish thing I said to you earlier.”  
  
She chuckled softly and took the few steps to return next to his desk.  “Gino, I am _positive_ you don’t really want that information.”  
  
His eyes widened with anticipation.  Surely it wasn’t _that_ embarrassing.  She said she’d already known whatever it was.  He swallowed back his nervousness and said, “I do.  I want to know.  I need to know what kind of an apology I owe you.”  
  
She laughed a bit louder and shook her head.  “There’s nothing to apologize for, believe me.  I didn’t mind.”    
  
Ginoza smiled with relief until her palm came up to rest against his face.  His breath was stuck in his throat and his mind was temporarily numb.   _Soft_ , he couldn’t help but notice.  “Besides,” she said as she ran her fingers delicately across his cheek and jaw, making the pit in his stomach twist sharply, “there really is just the one way for you to find out if the skin on my hands is the _silkiest_ part of my body.”  
  
She stood and backed slowly toward the door, obviously enjoying the fact that his eyes were now like saucers and he was momentarily frozen in place.  
  
When she smirked, he said, “You’re joking.  Please tell me you’re just trying to get a rise out of me again, Kamiya.  I-I wouldn’t!  I couldn’t have!  That’s not really what I said, is it?”  
  
She shrugged nonchalantly.  “’Fraid so, Romeo,” she grinned.  Stepping just outside his office, she added, “Remember, I don’t want some stuttering apology.  I think I’d feel offended if you take it back now.”    
  
Shaking her head, amused by his horrified expression and silence, she said, “I guess I’ll leave you to it.  See you, tomorrow,” before pulling the door closed.  
  
Ginoza was mortified.  He felt completely humiliated as he cupped his hands over his face and leaned down onto his desk.   _Foolish idiot,_ he thought to himself.  He felt anxiety so heavy that he thought he may actually vomit.  How was he ever supposed to face his partner now?  He had asked if _her body was as soft as her hands?!  What kind of a moron…  
_  
Rubbing the slight ache he felt at his patched up shoulder, the inspector suddenly grasped that Kamiya had said she was aware that he wanted her in that way already—before the drugged confession.  He picked up a paper weight off his desk and considered briefly whether he should throw it across the room or not.  He must look like such a fool.  
  
Turning the object over in his hands he suddenly heard her voice in his head saying, “ _There’s nothing to apologize for.  Believe me.  I think I’d feel offended if you take it back now_.”  After everything that had been said between them that afternoon—after his less than winning responses, Erra had _still_ chosen to say that to ease his embarrassment.  
  
He could feel the full flush come over his face and laid his head against his desk again, but this time it was to hide the ridiculous smile that had formed.  
  
  
********  
  
Tetsuo sat with Mina waiting for her to wake from the sedation. He wondered if it would be as hilarious as Inspector Ginoza or something frightening.  Kougami woke completely at ease.  Tet hadn’t even noticed at first that the man was laying there awake, groggy but calm.   
  
It seemed that Kougami had opted to cover his bare torso, putting on the hospital robe that Seki had left at the bedside.  Not that the shirts wouldn’t have been ruined in the first place, but Dr. Yoshitsu had made garbage of the three patients’ tops.  It wasn't long before Kougami sauntered over, eyes slightly glazed but focused on where Tetsuo and Mina's hands met.    
  
The look on the enforcer's face was one the nurse had seen before, but only in brief glimpses. It was a look reserved for when Kou stumbled upon Nakamura and Tetsuo touching.  Usually, the expression was always gone almost in the same moment it appeared.  It seemed that the man was having difficulty schooling his features, because Seki was able to get a good long look at the disgruntled countenance.  For a second, Tetsuo actually thought the man might say something about his contact with Chibi-chan.   
  
Instead, the man simply stood beside the bed, taking in his friend—or was it lover's?—state. “How is she?”   
  
Tetsuo sighed and thought about the best way to put the situation.  He had no desire to cause unnecessary worry.  “The doctor gave her more than just something to knock her out.  It's an experimental drug.”   
  
“And?  Come on, Seki.  There’s more to it than that.  I can see it all over your face.”  Unlike Inspector Ginoza, his words were barely even slurred.  Tetsuo assumed he would be almost used to such things by now, considering the amount of times the man had been injured on the job.  Kou grabbed a chair, sat, and proceeded to gently place his hand around Mina’s wrist, completely covering the tattoo there.   
  
“He gave her enough to kill a man your size.”  After seeing the very clear rage cross over Kougami's features, Tetsuo quickly said, “She's stable.  I don't know how, but she is.”  Kou might not have been too impaired, but he didn’t seem able to don his always-cool-&-collected mask at the moment.  The enforcer without his filters was a little frightening.   
  
“That's still not everything, is it?” he growled.   
  
“It has a hallucinogenic component.  Even in small doses it's very strong.  I don't know how she will be when she wakes up.  It's hard to tell.  The others they tested this on…” he sighed and brushed a gentle hand over Mina’s forehead, “…they weren’t okay.  But, if the way she has reacted to the massive dose is any indication, she might just be fine... She _will_ be fine.”  He knew that the last sentence had been said to reassure himself as much as the man in front of him.  
  
“You should look at her medical file from rehab.  It might help with this.”  The man's attention had moved to the blood on her hospital robe.  With no preamble, he pulled the covers back and pulled her robe to the side looking at the wound.   
  
The nurse's first thought was to smack the hand away, tell him to keep his hands to himself and off of his patient, but Tet knew Mina would not have cared.  Swallowing down the urge, he said, “I will... Wait.  Why would you look through her rehab records?”  It was a very nosy thing to do.   
  
The woman's shirt was pulled back down and the blanket pulled up. “Because I wanted to…and I can,” he said.   
  
_Right, Kougami does whatever the fuck he wants_ , he thought, angry at the breach of privacy.  “That's a shit answer, and you know it.”  He huffed and straightened Chibi-chan's robe smoothing it over her non wounded side.   
  
“Hmph.  We didn't have anything about her.  It was really the only thing to look at other than her basic stats.  I was putting myself on the line by choosing her to be a part of the team and wanted more info…though, I’d be lying if I said the mystery wasn’t part of why I wanted her here.  You’ll see what I mean if you just look, okay?”  Gun-metal eyes settled on the nurse.  “Do we know why that bastard did this?”   
  
“No, but I am sure your inspectors won't let this go.  I warned them to stay out of it, but I could see on Kamiya’s face that she has no intention of that.  Too much prodding could provoke whoever is responsible to go after Mina again, Kougami, so don’t waltz around her doing whatever the hell you want.”  Tetsuo's words came out with more anger than he meant, but he feared that the enforcer's general attitude could get everyone hurt.  The blond let his words sink in, as they sat in silence.   
  
Kougami let his eyes fall on Tet again.  It was uncomfortable the way his eyes seemed to stare right through the nurse, as if he would have him completely figured out if he looked hard enough.  Kou scrutinized his competition with a raised eyebrow, before lifting Mina's dainty wrist and placing his lips against its underside.  “Call me when she wakes up.”   
  
Seki stifled the grumble and the eyeroll he felt, and gave a short nod instead.  He should have called him back to be checked over before leaving, but decided that he was glad to have the man out of the room.  If Kou fell over in the hall, Tet was sure that someone would help him up.  He scolded himself.  That wasn’t the way to act as a doctor, and he knew it.  It was callous and petty, but it seemed to Tetsuo that the enforcer didn’t take whatever was going on between him and Mina very seriously, and he was pissed…and jealous.    
  
If Mina was his, she’d never be confused on where she stood with him, but he could tell that with Kougami she felt like he didn’t even actually like her.  Tetsuo made up his mind that the next time he hung out with her privately, he would ask if she wanted to be in a relationship with Kou—or if someone like Tet had a chance.   
  
With nothing to do other than check her vitals at regular intervals, he brought up Nakamura's file.  It wasn't that it had not always been available to him.  He had just never had any reason to dig around in her past.  Now, he did, and what he found was interesting and disturbing.  Kougami was right.  One look at the file told him Mina was no ordinary latent criminal.   
  
The most noticeable thing was that there was nothing before her hospitalization and subsequent stay in the facility.  There weren't even sealed records.  It was like she didn't exist until that point.  Further reading revealed that scanners had failed to identify her while she was unconscious.  Her name had come straight from her mouth within the first week of rehab.  As far as he knew, that was completely unheard of until now.   
  
Tetsuo looked at the hospital records first.  She had been admitted with a huge list of injuries.  Three broken fingers, bruises and lacerations everywhere, and injection marks anywhere and everywhere there could be.  All were pictured, and he found that it gave him physical pain in his stomach to look.  Bruising on her cheek and eye looked very much like someone had beaten her twice over.  All of it indicated abuse, except for her feet, which made Seki wince.  They were swollen, covered in cuts and bruises, and toenails were missing.  Tetsuo was happy for the small miracle that she was unconscious for nearly all of her healing process.   
  
_What the hell happened to you?_ he wondered.   
  
Her stint in rehab was well documented.  In a matter of six hours they had documented that Mina was highly resistant to just about any drug they administered.  Sedating her required an enormous amount of the strongest pharmaceutical they could safely give her, and give it to her they did.   
  
Her crime coefficient would climb and plummet within seconds... which was something the staff had clearly never seen before, according to their observations.  Frustration came through loud and clear with every note left on her chart.  Seki laughed when he read “patient often wakes confused and fearful.  Has led to several injuries of staff.  Requesting staff that has ability to subdue.”   
  
The therapy notes said the same thing over and over.  Mina refused to talk and responded to all inquiry with unveiled contempt.  She did that, almost the entire time she was there.  It was hard to imagine, his Chibi-chan, who would talk to him about any and everything, refusing to even answer the simplest of questions.   
  
Kou was definitely right.  The info from the facility made her reaction to Yoshitsu's massive dosing make much more sense.  He thankfully had to admit that the likelihood of her having a high threshold against the hallucinogen seemed good as well.  So, as he waited for her to wake, he tried to prepare himself to deal with someone just unbearably high, trying not to think about the test subjects that never came back from their bad trips.      
  
Brushing some of the unruly hair out of her face, Tetsuo chewed over how fiercely protective he was of Division One, especially Nakamura.   
  
Mina began to groan and moved anxiously in her sleep. Tetsuo squeezed her hand tightly, worried about what kind of nightmare she might be experiencing.  He wished he could trade places with her so she didn’t have to go through all of this.   
  
Running his fingers along her cheek, he reassured, “It’s okay, Chibi.  Don't worry.”   
  
Her response was unexpected and his face was on fire as she called out quietly in her sleep, “Te—Tetsuo.  Fuck... yes.  Right there!”  Her free hand clutched at the sheet and her hips raised in a very obvious sexual motion.     
  
He felt his eyes widen and his mouth go dry.  It was unmistakable the type of dream she was having and damn it was hot that he was in it.  There was no stopping the ego boost that came from the fact that it was about him and not Kougami.  Of course, now his brain struggled with seeing anything _but_ the two of them together while he waited for her to come to.  
  
Tetsuo had never seen Mina wake explosively.  Anytime he had come to her apartment to wake her up, it was a very slow process.  It usually involved her bargaining for more time.  If that didn't work she would hide under the covers, and if he tried to shake her awake and force her to a sitting position, she would grab and pull him into the bed, refusing to move for quite some time without first cuddling like a cat.     
  
That was why, when she suddenly stopped moaning his name, and woke up talking, he just about jolted out of his seat.     
  
“What the fuck just happened, Tet?”  She tried to sit up, and fell back to the bed clutching her abdomen, only to quickly move her hands to her head.      
  
“Whoa, take it easy,” he said, hoping he wasn’t still crimson and didn’t sound too obviously like he’d been holding his breath.  He moved her robe to quickly check her wound, hoping she hadn’t pulled it.  His stitching was sound, and it was fine.  
  
“You ran into the worst Doctor the CID has to offer, but I was able to fix his butchery.  How are you feeling otherwise?”  He waited for the worst.      
  
“Odd....kind of outside of myself.  Floaty?  Is that a thing?  That doctor was a prick.”  She inhaled slowly and deeply and as her eyes focused further, she said cheerfully, “Hey, Tet!  When did you get here?”      
  
It was clear that she was high, but it didn’t seem bad.  Tetsuo was still waiting, not believing how cognizant she seemed to be.  He must have been showing his concern clearly, because even she was able to recognize it.      
  
“Why are you looking at me like that?  Am I in trouble?  I…”  The woman's head cocked to the side a little. “You have the prettiest aura, Tet, you know that?”      
  
_Okay, definitely high.  I can deal with this._   “Do I?” he grinned.    
  
“Yep.  It’s like a very pale blue with lavender and a little yellow.  I like it.  It makes me think of spring.  Spring is my favorite.”       
  
A sigh of relief escaped him.  This, he could handle.  “I like spring, too,” he added.  Without thinking, he moved another one of those stray hairs out of her eyes.    
  
“I'm hallucinating a little, huh?”      
  
“Yeah.  I think that so-called doctor slipped you an experimental drug.”      
  
“I've felt like this before... but I can't place it.”  Her eyes stared almost vacantly at the ceiling as she tried to come up with the answer, before finally giving in and turning back to him.  “Thank you for taking care of me, Tet.”      
  
Their hands found each other.  “It was my pleasure.  I'm just glad you are gonna be okay.”      
  
Her eyes closed as she took a deep shaky breath.  “Hmm... your hand feels fantastic.”      
  
His mind couldn’t help replay her moaning for him in his sleep and he reddened immediately.  When she didn't look up for more than a few seconds he used his other hand to lift her chin.  Her eyelids slowly opened.  “You okay, Chibi-chan?”       
  
Mina nodded.  “Yeah.  I really like the way you touch me.  Have I ever told you that?  It makes me feel more at home.  People here, they don't touch each other enough.  I bet hues would be less cloudy if people showed more affection.”   
  
“You have mentioned that before, and I must say, I whole heartedly agree...So you are sure you’re feeling okay…just a little high?”  He was flabbergasted.  This was so much better than he thought it would be.   
  
“Yep.”  The “p” sound at the end of her statement was very pronounced and he couldn’t help smile again.  She looked at him and asked,   
  
“Do you mind sitting with me in the bed?”  Mina moved as far over as she possibly could, making space and patting the space beside her.     
Normally, he would have thought nothing of climbing right next to her, but he was having difficulty keeping his mind away from sex as it was.  He gathered his courage and sat with his friend.  She was a little silly, very focused on his touch, and admitted that she was seeing very bright colors where there were none, but otherwise, it wasn't the extreme chaos he had expected.  He was able to relax and feel that sense of calm that he only had when he was with this woman.  They passed almost an entire hour that way.   
  
Just as he was thinking of how thankful he was that it seemed she was going to be okay, he felt her head shoot up, heard her whimper, and felt her go unnaturally still.  Before Tetsuo could turn his head to figure out what was wrong, she shot from the bed, nearly falling.  Tet looked at her face and realized he had never seen her so ghastly pale.  The woman's eyes were fixated in front of her, pupils dilated more than before.  They nearly overtook the light blue of her irises.  She looked utterly terrified.   
  
“Chibi-chan?  What are you—”     
  
A flurry of motion knocked over a table full of various medical supplies.  An antiseptic smell filled the room, and Seki reeled from the quickness of his friend.  Mina had fallen again in her attempt to grab something from the small metal table that had subsequently crashed to the floor.  Now, her frantically searching hands were passing over gauze and plastic tubing, finally closing around the only metal implement within reach, small scissors.  He didn't manage to get to his feet until she was curling into the only free corner of the room.     
  
Fear crept up his spine, cold and bitter.  “Mina, you don’t need those.  Let’s just sit back down together, okay?”   
_  
I won’t let them take her away from me!_ he thought, as his shoes hit the floor and he slowly moved toward Mina.  The scissors were still firmly held in her left hand.  She was crying, chanting 'no' in a hushed whisper with her eyes closed.  She didn't acknowledge him as he knelt directly in front of her, hands up in submission and eyeing the sharp instrument cautiously.   
  
“Mina.”  Tetsuo's voice cracked a little, and was loud enough that she should have heard, but the woman gave no response.  “Chibi-chan, snap out of it!”  
  
“No!  You can’t take me back!  I won’t let you...”  She still wouldn't open her eyes.     
  
“Where, Chibi?  I’m not taking you anywhere.  I just want those scissors.”  
  
“Shut up a minute, Tet!  I’m not talking to you!” she scolded.  
  
Tetsuo’s brows furrowed in distress.  “There isn't another person here.  It's just us.  I promise.”   
  
“No.  No, it’s not.  Please don’t give me to them.  They’re gonna hurt me again,” she wailed in anguish, shaking.     
  
“Open your eyes, Chibi-chan,” he tried desperately.   
  
“I don't want to.”     
  
“Why not?”  He inched closer.    
“Because when I open my eyes...” she shot a hand up to wrap around his wrist, “…you won't really be there.  All of you will be gone, and I'll be alone in hell...It’s been longer this time.  I thought it was real.  I thought I could stay.  They'll shoot me full of whatever they want and I’ll never get away from him.”  She gasped, as if she had just had an idea.   
  
“Open your eyes Chibi-chan.  You'll see that I'm real, and that they are the hallucination.  You can feel me can't you?”     
  
“I can always feel when they give me the blue.  Please, don't make me.  I just want to pretend a little longer...please.”   
  
His mind frantically tried to determine how to get the weapon away and get her subdued.  Feeling desperate, the nurse weighed the odds of her freaking out and stabbing him with the scissors, and even though he was sure it would happen, he decided it may be the only option.   _What if she stays like this?_  The thought left him angry and determined.  “Mina, I’m real.  You’re here at the CID and no one wants to hurt you.  Please,” he begged one more time, “just give me the scissors and I’ll prove it.”  
  
“Brolin!  Can you hear me out there?” she began shouting.  “You always get what you want!”  Mina opened the scissors and pressed the wide blade to her wrist and Tetsuo’s eyes widened in horror.  She muttered, “You won’t get me!”  
  
“NO!” shouted Tetsuo and dove for the scissors.  As the two fought over control, he continued telling her he was real.  “Mina!  Stop it!  I’m real, damn it!”      
  
In an instant, he did the only thing he could think of…he kissed her.  Immediately he felt sharp pain in his arm.  Mina’s eyes flew open, and Tetsuo pulled back and looked at the scissors she had stabbed into his arm.  
  
“Augh,” he winced.  
  
“Tetsuo!   _Oh, god_!  I’m sorry!  You were real!” she cried.  
  
“Mm.  Yeah, it would seem so,” he joked before groaning again at his pain.  
  
“You’re real?” she asked again, though more to herself.  Before Tet could respond, she flung herself forward into his arms and kissed him fiercely, as if she was trying to make sure.  
  
Tears were streaming down her face and for a moment, all Tetsuo could feel was the need to comfort her.  Raising a large hand to her cheek, he softened their kissing.  The lips were everything he’d been picturing, though admittedly he hadn’t pictured blood dripping from his arm and her high on medication.  Still, her tears had stopped and she was kissing him back sweetly…gently.  He didn’t want to stop, even as he became unable to ignore the pain in his arm.  
  
Pulling back, she looked up at him with a smile.    
  
“Thank you, Tet.  I need—“ she managed, before she passed out cold on the tile floor.  
  
  
 ** _To Be Continued..._**


	13. Shifting Tides

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-authored by jolibrix 
> 
> Erra has to figure out how to navigate a delicate line between wanting to help her new friends without betraying her original goal to find out what's become of her husband.  
> Kougami checks on Mina after the attack.

**  
  
**Erra found no repose that night despite her exhaustion.  Instead of sleeping, she was sitting at the kitchen table staring at its white surface, thinking, and trying to play connect the dots with all the facts in her head.  
Her ring was at the center of a circle made of various kitchen items, representative of the various people and their problems that were on her mind.   
  
The wedding band begged the question, “am I any closer to knowing what happened to Ren?”  The answer was more of a “no” than a “yes.”   If anything, her time with Division One had generated more questions than answers.  Ren's inexcusable disappearance had riddled her with the suspicion that there was a certain amount of corruption and secrets within the system, and that much had been proven true.  Expectations she had held of that nature had been surpassed.  Kamiya's mind supplied her with the strong words “sinister” and “widespread.”     
  
The woman had come in with one goal, but now that she was there in the thick of things, she was wading through a pit of vipers.  A pepper shaker was moved the left of her ring.  First and foremost to consider was her superior.  A bottle of soy sauce was placed closer to the Kaisei shaker representing Nakamura.     
  
The more Erra thought about that day, the more suspicious of Chief Kaisei she became.  She was unable to figure out exactly why, though.   _Why_ would the chief be intent on disposing of Nakamura?  Did she know what they were doing with the remains, or was it some other reason that Kamiya hadn’t yet discovered?  The skeletal evidence probably wasn't the motive.  Gino was right in thinking that it didn't make sense.  The fact that Yoshitsu had unintentionally incriminated her boss was frighteningly unsurprising.  It was so easy to vilify the older woman.     
  
Kamiya had been keeping notes about inconsistencies she found with the chief since early on after meeting the woman.  No one had ever made Erra feel quite as uncomfortable as Kaisei did without having an obvious reason she could point out as the cause.  The more times she was called to speak with the chief, the more reasons Erra was able to find, but the initial hate and distrust was instantaneous.  Every contact with the woman brought the inspector to conclude worse and worse diagnoses.  At this point, she was willing to settle on sociopath…something Erra had previously thought was ancient history in her field of psychology, only having read about it and about how the implementation of Sybil had eliminated such personalities.     
  
The more she spoke with Kaisei, the more she felt it was like there was a minute, barely there disconnect with the woman's brain and body.  Kamiya hated that she could not pinpoint why exactly and was sure she’d be laughed at if she voiced that particular concern, but that was how she thought of it.  
  
Tapping the bottle of soy sauce made her wonder how Mina was doing.  Erra knew Seki would take care of her.  The newest enforcer seemed to bounce back from just about anything anyone threw at her quite quickly, but this was a blatant attempt to kill the woman and even worse, it was in a place where she should feel safe.  Erra had the gut feeling that the person she now called friend had not had that feeling of security for quite some time.    
  
Fury almost made Kamiya throw her pepper shaker at the wall.  She was mad at Kaisei, and she felt guilty that she had not been able to prevent the assassination attempt.  The word “shepherd” meant something to her.  It meant that she was supposed to monitor, as well as protect her flock, and in that, she felt failure.  Though, the inspector knew that she had done everything possible.  What about Mina made her the target?  It was annoying because she seriously had not even the slightest idea what it could be, if it wasn't the remains.     
  
Which brought her to Kougami, represented by a small canister containing sugar, placed very close to the soy sauce.  That man was a handful to manage.  At first, that quality had been trying, but after being there a few months, she had found a rhythm in working with him.  It also helped that she was starting to understand his relationship with the other members of the team.  He was like a son to Masaoka, who kind of thought of all of them as his children, but he seemed especially close to Kou.  There was infinite respect for him from Yayoi, and he seemed to return the sentiment.  She had seen in the files that he had been responsible for recruiting Kunizuka.  
  
Kougami and Mina were very close, and he was part of the reason the closed-off woman had started warming up to everyone.  There was no doubt about that.  They also worked extraordinarily well together.  Kamiya liked when Hounds 3 and 4 were on the case with her, because they worked like a well-oiled machine, giving their all to apprehend criminals and solve crimes.  They complimented one another, but then again, so did he and Ginoza.    
  
Those two... those two were in such dire need of each other's acceptance and friendship it hurt to watch them tip-toe around each other.  She knew that Kou's fall into latency had dealt a very catastrophic blow to Gino, but she was also very aware that whatever had happened with her predecessor and Enforcer Kagari had brought them into a space where they could very well cross a line bringing them back into friendship.     
  
With a shaky hand she brought her salt shaker to rest next to the wedding band.  Her partner had found his way under her masks... under her skin.  She wasn’t sure exactly what he meant to her yet, but she was certain that she had been terrified of losing him when she first discovered him unconscious.  She could have lost him as well if Yoshitsu had chosen to give him the drug.  She had nearly had a panic attack trying to keep it together to explain for Seki.   
  
Erra swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat.  It would not do well to think of what losing him would do to her.    
  
The urge to protect him was instinctual, and Kami was sure he would not appreciate her thinking of him in that way, but she couldn't help it.  Erra knew that she wasn't the only one though.  Masaoka was first and foremost, there for his son.  There was no doubt in her mind that the old man would give his life for Ginoza in an instant.  Kougami did the same thing.  It was something Erra could read loud and clear from Hound 3, the need to safeguard his friend.  She couldn't be sure if that had always been the case, but it was now.    
  
She knew that her partner could take care of himself, and had the utmost confidence in his abilities, but there was no shutting up the part of her that wanted nothing more than to assure his safety.  It was actually selfish, if she really thought about it.  She _needed_ him to be okay.     
  
The salt shaker felt cool against her skin as she palmed it.     
  
None of her current situation was the plan, and in fact, had never even been imagined as a possibility.  Ginoza had all but been directly threatened, and Mina...she should be dead.  A mass grave was found and almost immediately dismissed.  Her husband was missing without a trace after going out to a remote area, just like the one they found all those bodies at.  What if Ren had been one of the one sent to the incinerator?  She would never know... never find true closure.  The thought made a thick wave of nausea wash over her.    
  
She considered all the bodies they had found, all those people who were burned to cinder and ash, and how there was no way to deny the fact that Sybil was hiding something.   
  
I'm in so deep, she thought to herself.  There was no backing out now, not if she wanted to keep a clear conscious.  As she placed the salt shaker very close to the center of her symbolically placed pieces, Kamiya said to the empty space of her once shared apartment, “Is it all connected?”  She shook her head as if she could physically shake the thought away.  Surely whatever the reason Ren was gone had nothing to do with someone trying to kill Nakamura.  The two had nothing to do with one another.  Still, the thought nagged somewhere at the back of her mind.  
  
She kept the array of items in place, deciding to look over it again at breakfast.  
  
As the inspector made her way back to the bed she always slept on one side of, as though her significant other was still there, the woman kissed her index finger and placed it on Ren's cheek in the picture she kept framed to the left of the doorway.  He may not be her only focus now, but he was always on her mind first and foremost.  
  
She couldn’t live with herself if she said nothing to Chief Kaisei about the attempt on Mina’s life, but she would have to word things very carefully.  Division One meant a great deal to her, but she wasn’t ready to jeopardize finding the truth about her beloved husband yet.  She needed to do whatever she could to remain favorable in Kaisei’s eyes.  
  
  
********   
  
Kougami had given her all afternoon.  He had waited until he knew she was awake and back in her room alone, but he was tired of being patient.  He _needed_ to see for himself that everything was okay.  The door for Mina’s living quarters opened and he walked right in, thinking she may be resting still in her room...but she wasn’t.  She was already sitting at the kitchen counter again, going over the remains Division One still had to process.   
  
She didn’t look up and actually sounded slightly annoyed when she asked, “Are you always going to just barge right in without invitation?”   
  
He stopped across the counter from her and asked sarcastically, “You want me to start knocking?”   
  
Her crystal blue eyes looked angry for a moment as they flashed up at him, but then they softened.  She sighed and shook her head ‘no.’   
  
“Sorry.  I’m feeling very unsafe at the moment, and the door just popping open didn’t help.  I should have suspected it was you…or Tetsuo.”   
  
Kou wrinkled his nose.  He didn’t want to hear about the nurse.  She had been with Seki the majority of the day, and even though that wasn’t by her choice, Kou found himself almost feeling jealous again.  He wasn’t fond of the emotion.  
  
“No,” he said, “you’re right to be cautious.  I’ll see if I can come up with some kind of alert system for when someone tries to enter your place without permission.  I’ll bet I can convince Shion to help.”   
  
He noticed that Mina looked a little taken aback by his offer.  She seemed to do that anytime he did anything nice for her, and always made a comment about how he shouldn't go out of his way.  He didn't know why acts of kindness from him shocked her so much, but it kind of got on his nerves.  It was as if she went out of her way to make certain he wouldn’t grow to care for her, but she showed up time and again wanting to be with him physically.   
  
Kougami tried to look her in the eye, but she refused by flitting her eyes everywhere but him.  They did this for a few moments until she said, “If you are here because you want to...” she made gesture with her hand indicating sex, “I can't.  I'm sorry.”     
  
Anger flooded through him and must have been evident on his face, because she flinched a little.  “That's not why I'm here.  That’s really what you think?”    
  
He had often wondered who was responsible for her skewing herself that way to make her draw such conclusions about people getting close to her.  Mina had a very bad habit of making incorrect assumptions about his reasoning.  That particular comment had come out of left field.     
  
She glanced at the pointed tooth in her palm, the same one she had had in her hand before being called out to the mission and stepped back from the counter.  A heavy breath came out of Mina before she closed her eyes and curled her fingers around the strange shaped incisor.     
  
Shinya felt his anger about her assumption ebb to nearly nothing.  The way the woman had acted upon his entrance to her apartment should have been enough of a clue as to how out of sorts she was.    
  
“You all right, Min?  I mean…ya know?”  He didn't know why it was so hard for him to voice his worry and care, and calling her out when she got in these moods was useless.  She wouldn’t stand to hear the compliments he counteroffered, always assuming he was only placating her.      
  
She looked down at the floor and shook her head fiercely.  Shinya felt for her.  Of course she wasn’t okay.  He stepped around the counter, stood behind her, and placed his palms on her shoulders, noting that his hands completely engulfed her small shoulders.  It seemed like she was holding her breath, and he soon found out why as her soft sniffling made its way to his ears.  His arms winding around her seemed to bring a flood of tears as her shoulders shook.  Thin but muscular arms rested against his own, hugging them closer to her chest and waist.  He was careful not to jostle her wound.       
  
“Min?”     
  
The woman just shook her head again.   
  
At first, Kou thought she would back out of the embrace by the way she stiffened.  Instead, she leaned her head back against his chest and let lose a large sob.  “I'm sorry, Kou... didn't mean...”     
  
A dismissive noise came from his throat, letting her know it was nothing.  Assuming she would push away, he was a little shocked to feel her turn and nuzzle into his shirt, bringing her body closer.  When his arms tightened, she cried harder.     
  
“I am so sorry, Kou.”     
  
“It's okay.”     
  
“I usually don't cry... at people like this.  I told myself...” a huge sniffle made her pause, “I wouldn't, but...” another sob interrupted her words, “I think the drug fucked up my... emotions.  I feel so strung out...”   
  
_That's why she's apologizing?_  Here he had thought it was actually because of her assuming his intentions.  “Don't apologize for crying, Mina.”   
  
“But this...isn't fair to you.  You didn't come...in here to deal...with...”   
  
He didn't really mean to, but he laughed then, at her ridiculousness.  “Shut up, Min.  You’re worried you’re your crying _offends_ me?  Someone just tried to kill you.  Two hours ago, you were still in the infirmary having a massive dose of drugs flushed from your system, and we are still processing evidence that we shouldn't even have... in your apartment.”    
  
Kougami did his best to suppress the urge to go off about the attempt on her life.  She had easily curbed the audible sobs, but it was clear that it was as a ‘courtesy’ to him.  She was still frightened and upset.    
She began, “That's the thing.  I can't remember most of the hallucinations or waking up at all...I just feel so emotionally wrung out.  First, Tet has to deal with me and my emotions all over the place, and now you, too.  I hate it.  I don’t want this.”  
  
Without saying anything, he used his finger to make her look up.  Even with her eyes closed, the flow of tears was continuous.  It wasn't until he used a thumb to stop one of the drops and then cupped her face with his palm that she sobbed loudly.  Very slowly, Kougami let his palm trace down her arm to the fist clutched around the tooth, with delicate but deliberate actions, the fingers were unclenched, and the incisor was placed back on the tray.    
  
He thought of the sight of Seki so casually holding her hand on more than one occasion.  It wasn’t something Shinya had ever found appealing, but right now nothing could have kept his fingers from lacing with hers.  Only then did she open her eyes, and it just made everything worse.  It _hurt_ to see her like that.   
  
He was still beyond furious, but now wasn’t the time to show that to Mina.  He would deal with it soon enough.  He also made the decision to stall asking her what was so important about that tooth.        
  
“Mina, your crying isn’t burdening anyone.  You don't have to worry.  You are under our watch, and we are all working to make sure that kind of thing doesn't happen again.  All of us,” he said, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.       
  
Her reaction sounded angry, but he could tell she was using it to cover up her fear.  “I don't need to be watched like a child, and I can take care of myself Kou.”  She pushed away, forcefully throwing his hand from hers and rushed quickly to her bedroom.     
  
With determination, he followed.  In a few seconds he was in her room watching as she braced herself with one hand against the wall, crying and breathing hard enough for Kou to believe she was on the edge of a panic attack.     
When he finally had her in his arms, it started as a loose embrace, but it wasn't long before he had wrapped her in a more secure hug, resting his chin atop her hair.  Nakamura sobbed into his chest, wetting his shirt.  Shinya placed a palm to the nape of her neck and rubbed her back with other.  They went on like that for quite some time.  The man didn't press her to talk, and she didn't say much of anything.  The few muffled things pieced together were “not fair” and “I want to stay”.     
  
It wasn't long before she stopped crying and simply twined her arms around his torso.     
  
Kougami had to admit, that the act of soothing Mina was doing something for him, as well.  It made him feel like he _could_ act on what had happened.  There was nothing he could do to change the past, and feeling guilt over not beating the shit out of Yoshitsu the moment he hurt her wasn't going to help anyone.  It would be satisfying to break a few of the man's ribs, but the Dr. was out of reach.          
  
And while he was thinking on the question of his own confusing emotions, the mood changed.  He felt her shake her head and mutter something about not letting down her guard.  With a smooth movement that he blindingly followed, his suit jacket found its way to the floor.  Then his shirt was open and she was kissing him.  Confused by the rapid shift of gears, Kou grabbed her shoulders to stop her.    
  
“I told you, that’s not why I came to see you, Mina.”  
  
She mumbled, “Maybe not, but that’s what I need from you right now.”  
  
It actually stung to hear her say the words.  He felt like they had finally had a connection over something, but clearly he was mistaken.   _Whatever_ , he thought to himself.  Those kinds of things had always gotten in his way in the past.  He reminded himself that it was completely unnecessary to have that kind of connection with the woman.  Shinya told himself it was pity that made him think such ridiculous thoughts that afternoon, nothing more.   _Just sex_ was fine.  That’s what he told himself, anyway.  
  
Mina didn't stand on her toes and press her lips to his like she normally did.  Instead, her hot mouth made its way across his chest and her tongue licked across his stomach and hip.     
  
And just like that she was on her knees, unbuckling his pants.     
  
“Ah.  Fuck!” came out involuntarily, as she licked and kissed him into being completely erect.  He never had a chance to understand how she went from an absolute sobbing mess to wanton sex kitten.     
  
Then he was lost in sensation.  All he knew was the heat of her mouth, the texture of the strands of hair tangled around his fingers, and the very undignified moans that came with the bunching of his abdominals and the spike of electricity tingling at the base of his spine.  The wet sound of his member moving in and out of her mouth was pornographic, and he liked that.  No, that wasn’t strong enough.  He _loved_ that sound.     
  
Pulling her off of him was only possible because of the vivid memory of how it felt to be inside of her.  Nothing could beat that.     
  
On her feet now, Kou pressed a fevered kiss to her swollen lips.  The taste of him was all over her tongue, and he didn't know why, but it made him _need_ to be in her.  It was like he needed to lay claim to this woman.  He wanted her, and he wanted her now.  The desire was desperate.   
_  
It has only ever been like this with her.  Only with Mina._  The words flitted across his consciousness and then out of his head in the same beat.     
  
The woman's clothes were off in record time.  Vaguely, he heard himself growl into her mouth, as she gripped his bare ass and backed them towards the bed.  When they were close enough, Shinya swept her legs out from under her and she landed forcefully against the mattress.  
  
Between her legs now, movement ceased when his body pressed a little too hard against her abdominal wound, and she hissed through her teeth.      
  
“Don't stop, Shinya,” she commanded using her legs to pull them together and grind.  “The pain is nothing... it doesn't even hurt that much.  Keep going.”  Her face was pleading... begging and perfect and Kou wouldn't stop himself after that—couldn’t even if he wanted.  
  
His hands were gentle, but his thrusts were not.  At one point, she grazed his back and he understood what she meant by the hurt not being a bother.  It didn't really hurt, and the little bit of pain that came with it was on the right side of pleasure.  It was no secret to him that both of them enjoyed toeing that line.  When he finished it was so intense, he felt a little disoriented.  He blamed it on how badly she had worked him up in such a short amount of time.     
  
Finally, after situating themselves on the bed, Kougami found himself on his side, hand settled on her inner thigh.  He studied Mina, feeling less tense than fifteen minutes ago.  She was catching her breath while laying on her back.  Without looking, she allowed her arm to flop over and curl his rather unkempt hair around one of her fingers.  Little gestures like that were what kept him sure that Nakamura was more attached to him than she let on.  There was no doubt that to him she was more than just a bed-warmer.  Kou had had to admit that after her brush with death.    
  
As he looked at the book he gifted her a few weeks ago, laying half under her pillow as though she slept with it, the realization came that it was _always_ somewhere on the bed.  Whatever façade she donned, she could not hide these things that betrayed her true emotions.  Kou wondered if he should ask about the mood change, or if it was something that should just be left alone.  He made the decision to wait when Mina shifted to face him.  For the first time ever, she pulled herself close, kissed him gently on his cheek, and then pulled the blanket over the two of them.  
  
“Good night, Kou,” she whispered, already drifting off to sleep.  
  
He was more than a little surprised.  She always expected them to part shortly after sex like she couldn’t stand to be with him.  Now, she was nestled so closely, her small hand rested against his chest as her breathing evened out.    
Though it was barely evening, Kougami placed a soft kiss on her hair, and muttered, “Good night, Min,” before settling in for the night with her.   
  
  
****_To Be Continued..._


	14. Unwitting Pawns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-authored by jolibrix 
> 
> The Sybil collective hurries to make sure their asset is protected from turning against them.  
> Mina fills in Division One on her anthropological findings and comes to a difficult decision about her future with the team.
> 
>  
> 
> *COMMENTS FEED THE SOUL! ^__^*

The being known as Joshu Kaisei waited until Dr. Yoshitsu's footsteps faded down the hall before plugging back into the collective.  It had been risky to bring a doctor from the Unregistered labs to the city, despite the slightly higher chance of success.  The collective had predicted the outcome of putting people like Yoshitsu in positions of ultimate power over a population they would look at as nothing more than lab rats or cattle.  History was very clear about the results of that particular cocktail.  Therefore, Dr. Yoshitsu's behavior, while unsatisfactory, was not surprising.     
  
Almost nothing surprised the collective known as Sybil, excluding, of course, the blackmail instigated by Akane Tsunemori.     
  
They had been positive of Tsunemori's acceptance of their will, and in fact, had assumed that she would do nothing after discovering the secret of what really ran the lives of practically everyone in Japan.  They had expected her to accept that they were the better good, and leave it at that.  The woman had said that she understood that Sybil was what held society together, and in the same breath cursed their falsity and lack of justice.  She wanted change, but didn't know how, when the system was responsible for every aspect of the population's lives, but now, Akane was dead, and if they chose to eliminate Shinya Kougami, there was a possibility of full disclosure to the entire world.  Their logic had left out the tenacity of human sentiment the woman held for the enforcer known as Hound 3.     
  
“If you are ever responsible for the death of Kougami, or if his death is in any way suspicious, there are fail safes set up that would expose Sybil for what it really is, to the entire population as well as those overseas.  You can read my biometric data and see if I'm lying... go ahead.”   
  
Sybil had done just that, and found no lie in her words.    
  
“Even if I die, the deal continues,” the woman had said.     
  
They had attempted to figure out exactly how Tsunemori's plan would enact, and found nothing.  It would be illogical to dismiss her threat, because it had been sincere.        
  
That left Mina Nakamura, whose survival had not been expected.  This woman posed a problem to the whole of Sybil society.  Her very existence shouldn’t even be known by anyone living under their laws.  Very few citizens knew there was an entire subpopulation of people not monitored under direct control of Sybil.  Even fewer knew that the Sybil System used members of these non-people to experiment on— testing new types of drugs or how much a person could withstand before their crime co-efficient was irreversibly high or even how close they could get someone’s hue to black.  
The collective had a handful of extremely despicable people on their payroll who enjoyed hunting and selling these Unregistered people to them or working directly with their newest lab rats in the various underground facilities they owned.  
  
Nakamura showed up with a completely unreadable psycho-pass or any information, and as soon as that was reported to “the chief,” it was clear that she must belong with the other rats from the labs.  When she appeared in a rehab facility and then ended up in the CID, they had figured it was for the best.  The collective could watch her and determine what she knew and what her purpose was there.  It was Kaisei who had nudged the woman’s file in Division One’s direction, knowing they would take an interest.  
  
Quickly, they were able to deduce that Nakamura had no memory of her time in the labs, but they assumed it may only be a matter of time before she did, and if that happened, they would have to worry about the labs being exposed.     
So, the decision had been made.  They would get rid of her…permanently.     
  
Then, Yoshitsu had failed, and the situation needed to be reassessed.  The collective was deliberating, computing, and diagnosing the problem.  New information was assimilated, and they discovered that Yoshitsu's failure could actually work in their favor, if they played their cards right and got rid of the man immediately.  
  
The biggest problem they would have to overcome was that Erra Kamiya was now suspicious, if not sure, of their mal intent.  She had all but made that clear in her visit to Kaisei’s office earlier this evening.  Without coming right out to say it, she had left a sense of her deep misgivings about the system.  
  
This was something the Sybil System simply couldn’t afford.  Kamiya had been chosen and promoted _specifically_ to take the place of Tsunemori.  The former therapist had a similar skillset and high aptitude like Akane, as well as her remarkable skill of controlling her Crime Co-efficient with ease.  Kamiya was _exactly_ the type of person they needed on their side, and they had a trump card with her that they hadn’t possessed with Tsunemori…her missing husband.  
  
Knowing what had happened to the man was a non-issue for them.  All they needed was to be able to use her love and desire to find him as a means of playing on her sympathies—luring her closer to their side, indebting her further to the collective, and showing her that with them at the head, citizens could truly have the happiest of lives.  Assuming they just stuck to the rules laid down by Sybil, of course.  
  
They felt they had utilized the husband to the best of their abilities that evening by misdirecting Kamiya from the issues she had been concerned over.   
  
“Inspector Kamiya, I hear that you have a missing husband that you’re trying to locate.”  Kaisei had said this carefully, donning a perfect mask of care and concern.   
  
The redhead had looked exceptionally taken aback that “the chief” would have such knowledge.   
  
“People do talk, you know?  I’m only sorry that you felt you couldn’t confide this information in me yourself.  I have told you multiple times that we think very highly of you, haven’t I?” the life-like android had asked.  All the while, data had been collected about the inspector’s demeanor, tone of voice, stance, and facial expressions, all for later evaluation with the collective as a whole.     
  
Still, Kamiya had seemed shocked but had managed a short nod when Kaisei placed a hand on her shoulder.   
  
“I just want you to know that we at the MWPSB feel you are absolutely essential to our institution, and I will do whatever I am able to help you find the truth about Mr. Kamiya,” the chief had offered, sounding more than genuine.   
  
The inspector’s mouth had fallen open slightly and her eyes filled with tears.  “Th-thank you, Chief.  Thank you very much!  I don’t know what else to say, but thank you!”   
  
They had further buttered up their future asset by assuring her with the easy lie that Kaisei agreed with the inspector.  They agreed that what had happened with Yoshitsu was wholly unacceptable, telling the redhead that he would be removed and banned from working in the medical field ever again.  Once she had seemed convinced, they had dismissed Kamiya with a kind gaze.     
  
Promptly, a report had been given to the rest of Sybil.  “One problem down, one to go,” she said to them.  Erra Kamiya had been put back right where they needed her, and they had the utmost confidence that the problem Mina Nakamura presented would be resolved.  All in all, they felt great progress had been made that earlier that evening.     
  
Presently, the brain occupying the android was reporting that Yoshitsu was being sent back to Lab 4 to continue his original work.  The android brain was also receiving the update concerning all the data that had been collected since the last meeting with Inspector Kamiya.    
  
247 brains, after carefully analyzing the situation, voiced the opinion that they needed to further entrench the inspector in their system.  Deeper scrutiny of the woman's reactions had revealed that there was still a certain level of trepidation concerning Sybil.  That was something that needed to be rectified.    
  
A solution was presented itself.  One that ascertained again that Yoshitsu's failure would work in their favor.  Nakamura could be used as a bargaining chip, and if they could find the right person to put the plan into action, more information could be gathered and Kamiya's faith in the system would be fully restored.     
  
After disconnecting, Kaisei moved to her communication device and sent out the coded signal that put the collective's plan into action.  Every lab employee and human trafficker was contacted, and Sybil knew that more than a few would bite at the chance to be a part of their scheme.  After all, they were offering a type of immortality alongside a chance for revenge.  
  
  
********  
  
Mina was nervous.  Public speaking, even if it was to just a handful of people, was frightening.  There was no getting around it though, and this was the best way to report the information she had thus far.  The set up was in Masaoka's room, which was better than an auditorium, but meant that she would be able to see everyone while she spoke.  It was nerve wracking.  What was worse was that she was going to have to end by telling them there was more work to be done.  Inspector Ginoza would not like that.  She was aware that this was how he might see her as a useful part of his team.   
  
They filed in, and self-consciously she smoothed her skirt.  Knowing how to dress had been an issue, but Erra had helped.  It probably wasn't necessary to dress well, but the redhead had told her it would help her feel the part.   It didn't, it just made her feel more aware of people's eyes on her.     
  
When everyone was in, she walked across the room and turned off the light.  They were using old equipment, which meant using slides.  Mina didn't know how to start, so she just brought up the first slide.     
  
“Okay, so, here are the four people's remains that we found in that mass grave, which I have fully articulated.”  She clicked to the next slide.  “And here are the contents found with those remains.  I'm going to go through one by one, and tell you the information I’ve been able to gather.”     
  
Mina continued to go through the slides as she spoke.  “This person is a male, between 20 and 30 years old.  He was about 182 cm tall.  He was found with a hospital gown.  I called the company that makes those gowns and gave them the product code, and they informed me that it was made and distributed within the last four years.  They couldn't tell me who it was distributed to.  Post- cranially I found periostitis all along his thorax.  His ribs were especially bad, as you can see.  This floating rib is a textbook example of it.  His innominates, femur, and tibia both display prolific periostitis as well.  I was able to glue the skull back together, and found porotic hyperostosis all along the supraorbital border and the super ciliary arches.”    
  
Feeling on a roll now, she used a laser pointer to point out the area.  “And then this...the microporosity on the greater wings of the sphenoid...”  She stopped realizing that Pops had raised his hand.   
  
“Wait... what causes...’periostis?’”  Masaoka was looking quite perplexed.     
  
“Oh, periostitis.  Stress that causes inflammation of the perioste....”   
  
“Mina, what I think he was trying to say is ‘dumb it down a little, and maybe slow down.’  You lost us pretty early on.  Even with the pictures and the pointer, it's a little fast,” Erra jumped in. “Just tell us the findings.  We trust your judgment.  You don't have to explain it all with such detail.”  The inspector flashed Nakamura a comforting smile.   
  
Her cheeks were hot with what was surely a deep embarrassed blush, but bolstered by her friend's faith, she continued.  Mina made it a point to avoid looking at Inspector Ginoza's frowning mouth and raised eyebrow.     
  
“My findings... well, in terms of what I was just talking about, this guy was horribly sick... I mean in an undocumented, unprecedented kind of way.  All of those things I was mentioning can be attributed to so many different unspecific _and_ specific diseases... and I found nothing like it in osteological literature anywhere.  I even asked Tetsuo to help, and he couldn't find anything that could possibly cause such extensive damage.  It's baffling, and at first I was willing to call whatever did that the probable cause of death, but then I started looking at the extensive trauma.”  As she moved to the next slide displaying various pictures of broken bones, Nakamura saw Ginoza's mouth open.  At that moment, because of nerves and paranoia, she was sure he was going to argue with her conclusions in some way.     
  
He looked worried, the line between his eyes forming with the tension of it.  This was a look Mina was sure she had been the cause of many times. “If this man had a horrible infectious disease... do we have to worry about contamination?  Because we are the ones that brought him back here and...”   
  
“Inspector, there is nothing to worry about.  I had Tetsuo run tests.  We are all safe.”     
  
“Good.”  The line between his eyes smoothed, and his shoulders dropped.  “Continue.”     
  
Mina suppressed an eye roll at the command and turned back to her presentation.  As she explained the various healed and partially healed broken bones and fractures, she watched the faces of her team as the sheer number of injuries the person had sustained really sunk in.   
  
“And that isn't even what I'm calling the cause of death.  That is just proof of the violence inflicted on our victims.  This,” a picture of a skull that had been in numerous pieces, now reconstructed and glued together came into view.  “ _This_ is what I think was the cause of death.”    
  
The laser pointer outlined a depressed and fractured portion of bone.  “High velocity blunt force trauma but not from a bullet.”     
  
Controlling the shaking of her hand was getting to be tiresome.  So, clenching her fists and taking a big breath, Mina allowed a moment for all she had said to process, and for her to get a hold of herself.  Finally, turning back to her very rapt audience she asked, “Does anyone want to ask me what it was that I think caused that?”   
  
Kougami's gaze was so intense, interested, and almost suffocating that it was no shock that he was the one who spoke.  “What was it, Mina?”   
  
She forcibly reminded herself not to turn the brief amount of eye contact into something longer.  “This is where this gets interesting.  Finding something that caused that particular fracture pattern turned out to be almost impossible.  With Tetsuo's help, I looked through well over a hundred bits of research and found only one very obscure thing that fit the bill.”  A click sounded and then another picture came in to view.      
  
“Is that a gun?” Kamiya asked, immediately catching on to the fact that, while what she was looking at was kind of pistol shaped, it certainly wasn't a normal firearm.     
  
“Kind of.  It’s called a captive bolt pistol,” she exhaled.  “It was traditionally used to stun or kill livestock.  I even found a few extremely old articles where people were killed with one, but the one used here— there is no real precedent for someone using it for murder like this. In fact, soon after it was designed, it was discontinued.  It only had about a year of popularity before they found an injectable drug that did everything the bolt pistol did but better.    
  
"The thing is, this particular model packed way more of a punch than the ones in the old murder cases I read about where they had to fire the thing multiple times to do the job.  The impact from this one would have done it with a single shot.  I asked Karanomori to run a simulation of what would happen to a human skull had this been the weapon used, and it matched with the trauma to our two men's craniums.”     
  
“Have you been able to find out where a person or people could obtain one of those things?” Pops said, looking impressed and slightly worried at the same time.     
  
“No.  Nothing yet.  If anyone has any ideas of how to do that, let me know.”     
  
“What about the other two?  Do they have the same trauma?” Kunizuka asked, concentrating on the image of the murder weapon.     
  
“I can't tell on the woman, yet.  Her skull was in too many pieces for me to have the time to put it all together.  The other one,” she swallowed, hating the way she paused to make sure her voice stayed steady.    
  
“The other one was a child, and no, there was no trauma to the skull.  It was all to the body.”  Throwing her pointer at the nearest table, she turned to her team.    
  
“Whoever did all this knew what they were doing, you guys.  There is evidence that the adults' hands were tied together, and the placement of the captive bolt pistol shot was dead on where it needed to be to cause the most amount of damage.  I think—but this is, of course, conjecture— that because they used a weapon like this, they may have been doing this en masse for some time.    
  
"I've read about death squads using similar methods so they wouldn't have to waste ammo, and this just feels like that kind of thing to me.  I'm not finished with all the work I could do here.  I am also willing to bet money that the other people, the ones that Sybil incinerated, would have similar if not identical causes of death.  I just... I don't know how else to proceed.  Um, do you guys have any questions?”   
  
Kougami stood up and walked to the device she was using to move between slides. “What about that tooth you were so intent on examining?  The one on the second male?”    
  
He clicked back through for a moment.  “Ah, there it is.  Is there anything important about that?”    
  
Kougami had caught her off guard, and for at least five beats of her heart, all she could see was the face of Nago, smiling and laughing with her family, that damn filed tooth making such a ridiculous grin.     
  
“No.  It is just a very distinct and interesting bit of dental work that does nothing for us without a database to search.”  She was almost proud of herself for sounding so indifferent.  No one seemed to think anything further of the question—nearly no one.   
  
Kou sat back down, but the curve of his mouth and the look in his eye screamed _liar_.  Mina hated that he seemed to be able to catch her in just about any falsehood she told, even the half-truths and lies of omission.  He chose not to call her out on it this time though, and for that she was grateful.   
  
“So, are we thinking that this is more than one person?  Can we make that kind of assumption?”  Masaoka's question had her shaking her head.     
  
“I wouldn't go that far.  For all we know those bodies had been accumulating over a long period of time.  You saw how they were buried, two or three per pit,” Ginoza stated.   
  
“He's right.  There is no real way to be sure about the number of people involved, but I would like to point out the hospital gowns again.  I mean, there were more than just this one we managed to save from the incinerator.  Maybe it could be something institutional.”  Mina hated to admit it, but something about the hospital gowns made her skin crawl.     
  
“But how?  I mean, how could something like that be hidden?  Someone would have stumbled on something by now,” mentioned Kunizuka.  
  
“I don't know.  I was just throwing something out there.”  Nakamura chided herself for not keeping the irritation out of her voice.  “No matter how you look at it, it makes no sense that whoever did this hasn’t been caught by Sybil's scanners at some point.  Right?  So, how did this happen?”  When she looked up there was no mistaking the way all the veterans of Division one were sharing glances.    
 _  
What the hell?  Do they know something?  But why hold it back?_  She made a mental note to ask Shinya about it later.   
  
“Let's say this is just one guy, for the sake of theory, how would he manage to get…say... three bodies out of the city... Actually, the better question is how have so many missing people not been reported?  Why couldn't Sybil identify them?  That should be impossible.  All of Japan is under Sybil’s jurisdiction, so wouldn’t more people have come forward missing their loved ones?”  Erra looked pensive.     
  
Mina was sure that she was thinking of her husband.  She wished she had a moment to tell her not to worry about that just then.  If Kamiya's husband had been in that grave, Sybil would have been able to match his remains with a person in the database.  It wasn't like the Unregistereds who had no presence in the system.  Mina felt slight guilt over being the only member of Division One that knew Japan did have a subpopulation not monitored by Sybil’s laws.  She squirmed a bit at the feeling, reminding herself that was just as it was supposed to be.  
  
“I think we all know why.  We just aren't saying it,” Kougami was leaning back in his chair and pulling out a cigarette.  Once it was lit, he replaced the pack in his suit pocket and looked at the ceiling.    
  
“The reason why Sybil couldn't determine who those people were...” he paused to inhale, the tip glowing a red orange that had Mina staring, “…was because someone didn’t _want_ it to do so.  It's a cover up, plain and simple.  With that many bodies a red flag should have been raised.  That much we have undoubtedly established.  We need to be focusing on the why and the who.”    
  
Mina sighed almost inaudibly with relief.  For a split second, she was worried that he somehow knew about the Unregistereds and that he was about to tell that secret to everyone in the room.      
  
“I agree,” Kamiya began.  “I mean, I have a feeling that if we were to have scanned every single one of those remains and run them through the database, it would have said ‘no match,’ which should be impossible.  Why erase people?  Why _wouldn’t_ we be asked to get to the bottom of this?”  As she spoke, Kamiya was very obviously getting angrier.     
  
Ginoza looked at his partner’s mouth forming a grim line, before closing his eyes for a moment and sighing.  “You profile well.  What can you deduce from what we have here?”  The inspector had directed the question at Kou and was looking at him expectantly.   
  
Kougami's eyes widened in the slightest, and Mina read that as surprise that Ginoza was soliciting input. “I don't know for sure.  This is big, and unlike some of our previous cases, it isn't someone trying to make a point.  Those people were never meant to be found.  Like Min said, it would have been helpful to have more evidence, but Sybil ruined that.  So, we go with what we have.”   
  
It had been difficult to focus on the big picture while processing the remains.  Mina's attention had been on each individual, but now that Shinya had opened the door, she found herself easily following his lead.   
  
“Their hands were restrained, and even a few of their feet had been tied together.  Whoever did that was worried about them struggling or running away, despite the fact that they were in the middle of nowhere, and let's be honest, most people wouldn't be able to navigate the woods around them nowadays,” she supplied.   
  
“They used an antiquated weapon that was soundless and didn't require ammunition.  So, they had a need for silence,” Pops joined in.     
  
“The victims are a mixed population, from what I can tell,” Nakamura added.  “So, the targets weren't picked for their gender, height, ancestry, or age.”     
  
“We have no evidence of ritual or of a pattern with the way they were buried.  This wasn't done by a person looking to take trophies, make art, or even satisfy some sick urge...like the average serial killer.  It was done out of expediency.  Maybe because it had to be done quickly.  With the signs you found of torture, it’s possible that killing them wasn't the main event as much as just how the cruelty ended,” Ginoza stated.    
  
The green-eyed inspector had taken off his ever present glasses, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, looking like he was reluctant to put his two cents into the conversation.    
  
“What I can't make sense of is the evidence of disease you mentioned.  If this was simply a matter of torture, then the broken bones and such, I understand.”   
  
“I haven't finished with the woman or the child, but just from doing the inventory I could see similar signs of metabolic stress.  So, it isn't just one case.  Also, the gowns…makes me think they were in some type of facility.”    
  
She visibly shivered, and actually felt her eyes water.  Why was that what got to her?  She felt eyes on her and was positive they belonged to Kougami.     
  
“I'm going to look into how someone would get a captive bolt pistol.  I mean, that can't be easy,” Masaoka said rubbing his hand over his jaw.  “I am also going to check if it is something easy to make and get parts for.”     
  
“That's a good idea.  Nakamura, we will find some way to get you more time with the remains.  Do what you can and let me know anything you find.  I want a report every day.  I am going to see if I can find out more about the gowns,” Ginoza said.    
  
It wasn't often that Mina saw this side of the inspector, but when she did, it showed just how good of a detective he was.  Grudgingly, she also had to admit that he was a good leader.     
  
“Kunizuka, we are accessing a lot of information that could call attention to what we are doing.  See if there is a way we can hide it or at least make it look more innocuous.  I am going to look at ‘missing persons’ reports again,” Kamiya said.    
The redhead looked ready to get away from this topic quickly, and Mina knew exactly why.  Still Erra continued, “I am also going to see if I can surreptitiously get more information from the surveying companies.  Maybe they can give me a list of everyone who was sent to that particular area.”    
  
As she spoke, Erra was already standing.  “Mina, do you mind putting away this equipment?”   
  
Nakamura nodded.     
  
Inspector Ginoza walked forward, looking uncomfortable.  After a quick backwards glance at his partner, he finally settled his eyes on Mina.  Instinctively, she looked away, worried about what she would see on his face.  It was a surprise to hear his tone come out praising. “Good work today, Hound 4.”    
  
Just as abruptly as he had approached, he made his way out the door, and the rest of Division One followed suit.   
Kougami was the last in line, and when he paused beside her, she asked, “What are you going to do, Kou?”  She was having to lean her head back to look up at him, otherwise she would have been talking to his sternum.      
  
The smile he gave was intense and almost mischievous.  “I am going to see if I can get inside the head of our killer, and if I can't, I am going to find someone who can.”  Then the warmth of his fingers was lightly running across her cheek as he walked past her to catch up to the others.   
  
Once everyone filed out Mina forwent turning on the lights, unbuttoned the top two buttons of her blouse, and practically melted into the chair Erra had previously occupied.   
  
That had been...stressful, to say the least, and it didn't help that her conscious had been waging war against her sense of self-preservation ever since finding Nago's tooth.  Of course, Kougami calling attention to it had not helped.  The smarter part of her realized that keeping her secrets would ensure her continued existence in Division One and out of rehab.  The other, louder and more convincing voice in her head couldn't let go of the fact that this was enormously important to finding out what had been happening to all of the missing Unregistereds.    
  
She was in a position to be the one to save her people.  
  
It all came down to the very pertinent fact that she needed the bag her brother had left behind in their summer settlement home.  Mina hated that she had not procured it when she had the chance, thinking she would have plenty of time later.  Maybe things would have turned out differently.    
  
Instead, she had wound up tangled in Brolin, confused and isolated from the rest of her people.  How had she let that happen?  It was something that continually made her question her own judgment.  Nakamura loathed herself for ever allowing herself to get so wrapped up in another person that she became blind to everything around her.   
  
But now she had a chance to put at least a few pieces of the puzzle together, and she had a feeling that her brother had found something important.  It just had to be stored in that bag, otherwise he wouldn't have made such a big deal of telling her about it.  Whatever that “something” had been, it was probably what had gotten him killed.  In a way, she owed it to him to go and at the very least, look at what he had left her.     
  
That wasn't her only reason, though.  Division One was now deeply involved.  In the beginning, she had been able to seclude her new friends into a safer place than the Unregistereds.  Now, they were close enough to the problem for her fear to kick into high gear.  By mere association, she equated even their small bit of involvement, no matter how unknowing, with danger and death.  There was no way to dissuade them now, nor would she try.   
  
She stared at the slide Kougami had pulled up for what seemed like a couple of minutes, but in reality was at least a half hour.  By lunchtime she had made the decision to attempt to persuade Kamiya to take her to the bag.  There was no way to avoid the possibility that doing so would get her thrown back in rehab, and she was sure it would come off as suspicious.  Erra would have questions, and with luck Nakamura would be able to keep her cards close to her chest long enough to delve into what Kishio left behind.    
  
Hopefully, her friend would be understanding.  It helped that Kamiya had an emotional tie to this case, and maybe that would be sufficient enough to get Mina where she needed to be.  Even if she managed to convince the inspector to take her to the settlement, it was unlikely that Nakamura would return as a woman with any freedoms, at all.  Rehab would be the most likely outcome, and her new friends would certainly want to be as far away from her as possible.     
  
With trepidation and a heavy heart Nakamura made the decision to spend time with those she was close to at the CID that night.  It would be her way of saying goodbye.   
  
  
 ** _To Be Continued..._**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're interested in character biographies or commissioned art for the OCs then you can check that stuff out on my DeviantArt
> 
> http://thatgingahninja.deviantart.com/gallery/56634101/Original-Character-Commissions
> 
> Thank you so very much for taking the time to read. ^_^


	15. Unacceptable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-authored by jolibrix 
> 
> A bit longer chapter than usual, but that was as much as we could whittle it down to and still feel satisfied with it. ^_^
> 
>  
> 
> *Tetsuo realizes that he may have an equal chance with Mina as Kougami, AND that Kougami certainly views him as a threat.  
> *Erra makes a decision to continue following her instincts instead of getting swept up, and decides to take action on a man who's been harassing women in the PSB.  
> *Mina assumes this will be her last night with her new friends and is realizing there was more to her feelings with Tetsuo and Kou than she knew.

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Unacceptable  
  
** Tetsuo had intended to try to catch part of Mina’s presentation with the team.  Because he had helped with the evidence, Inspectors Kamiya and Ginoza had invited him to be there.  He knew Mina had been quite nervous that morning and even worried that she may say something out of line that would get her thrown off the team.  She had voiced concerns over what Inspector Ginoza might say and implied that she wasn’t in any sort of mood to be patient with his patronizing.  Unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to leave the medical ward when he’d originally planned.  
  
As he rode the elevator down to the latent dormitories, Tetsuo thought about how prepared Mina’s notes and information and slides had been when she excitedly showed him everything.  He couldn’t help but think that, if she had lost her cool, it would be completely due to Ginoza’s off-putting manner.  The thought made him smile and relax a bit.  He was sure it was fine.  
  
When the doors to the elevator opened, Masaoka and Kunizuka were already standing there, with the two Division One inspectors approaching from further down the hall.  Kamiya gave him a half-hearted smile and pointed back over her shoulder towards, he assumed, Masaoka’s living quarters.  Clearly, he was too late for the main event, but he could still check on Mina and see how her anxiety was doing.    
  
Tetsuo realized he hadn’t seen Kougami with the rest of the team and groaned after the realization of what that likely meant.  He was alone with Mina.  Tetsuo couldn’t keep from sighing.  
  
He had been feeling slightly awkward around Mina since the day she’d been drugged. Though they had shared that incredible kiss, it became quickly apparent once she recovered that she had no memory of having done so.  It certainly wasn’t her fault, but now when he was around her, he couldn’t help the longing feelings he had.  Worse still, he couldn’t seem to control the painfully heavy stone in the pit of his stomach when she mentioned Kougami or when he saw the two of them together.  
If there was a relationship between them, he wished one of them would just confirm it and put him out of his misery, but neither seemed to be able to give a yes or no on the topic.  Every time Tet convinced himself he had no chance and to just forget about Nakamura romantically, she would do something that pulled him right back in and confused the situation more.  Mina was still as touchy-feely as always and it was clear the he had chemistry with the enforcer.  People had even asked him directly if the two were a couple.  
When Mina was with Tetsuo, she often told him he was important to her.  Many times the two of them would be relaxing together cuddled on a sofa or a bed, talking about nothing and everything for hours, laughing until tension rose too high for him to bear being alone any longer.  He wanted to be able to candidly ask her to answer all of his questions.  There was a part of him that feared her reaction.  Would it make her feel awkward and could he handle the possibility of her pulling away from him once he made his intentions known?  No matter what her answer was, Tetsuo was unable to imagine life without their friendship.  That much he was sure of.    
It also had not helped that every single time Seki built up his courage to question her, they were interrupted.  Sometimes it was Pops.  Other times it was Erra, but mostly, it was Kougami.  It wasn't that he didn't get alone time with Mina, but it seemed as though the other man had a sixth sense for when Tetsuo was about to delve into the nature of the two enforcers' relationship.  The few times he had hinted at the subject, she clammed up or waived off the notion.  Plus there was the fact that, in the time Tetsuo had been with the PSB, he had never known Kougami to be the type of man interested in relationships.  Going by that and by her responses, he would have simply assumed that it was just a fling, but both Kougami's and Mina's actions spoke louder than words.  It was very possible that there was something more there.   
It was becoming rather impossible for him to keep things casual, though.  The day in the med ward had only solidified in his mind how much he cared for the woman.  He was growing impatient to find out whether or not Mina thought she might have deeper feelings for him.  If she wasn’t interested in Kou for more than a physical relationship, was there a chance she might let Seki closer?    
Rounding the corner, he ran into Kougami heading towards the elevators.  
  
 _Perfect_ , he thought to himself.  
  
“Hey, Seki,” the other man greeted him in his irritatingly carefree voice.  “Everything’s all wrapped up.  Come on with me and I’ll fill you in on the details.”  
  
“No, that’s fine,” he responded.  “I can just ask Mina.”  Seki moved his gaze in the direction he was about to walk, giving the simple social clue that the conversation was over.  He had no desire to hear Kou’s version of things.  
  
Kougami not-so-subtly angled his body to cut off Tetsuo’s retreat.  “Ask later, then.  I think she needs a few minutes to collect herself after all that.”  
  
“Why?  What happened?  I know she was worried this morning and needed a little encouragement.  I’m just going to check to see if she’s ok,” he said, working to keep just how irked he was out of his tone, and finding himself more than a little satisfied at the brief furrowing of Kou’s brows at the mention of being with Mina that morning.    
  
Tetsuo was not a person easily intimidated, nor did he like being told what to do.  Both he and Mina shared that quality.  So, he simply started to go around the ardent enforcer.  It was a little shocking, then, to feel the toe of Kou's shoe actually block his movement.  
  
“ _I said_ —” he warned, “she just needs a few minutes alone.”  It was clear enough by his tone that it would be a fight if Seki challenged him just then, though he couldn’t figure out why.  “Besides,” the stern enforcer continued, “I have some things I need to ask you about anyway.”  
  
Seki was a little puzzled at the other man's aggressiveness.  Kougami was typically bold and did speak his mind, but this seemed more excessive than normal.  Tetsuo analyzed the situation, and while he was still unclear as to why the enforcer was so hell bent on keeping him away from his friend at the moment, he did draw one clear conclusion.  Kougami saw Seki as a threat.  It wasn't a new idea, but this type of behavior told the nurse that Shinya was not only aware of Tet’s attraction to Nakamura, but also that he felt the need to keep her solely to himself.    
  
There was no way now that Tetsuo could keep going without finding out if Mina felt the same about Kou.   
  
Trying not to look thrilled that the enforcer considered him competition for Mina’s affections, Seki ruffled a hand through his white-blond curls.  
  
“Fine,” he conceded.  “Lead the way, boss.”  
  
A little glare was all he received in response before the two men made their way upstairs to go over the meeting and have Kougami ask questions about any extra findings the nurse may have discovered.  Tetsuo tried his best to be helpful but found himself more than a little bored while Kougami tried to “detain” him for a while.  
  
At last, Masaoka mentioned that he had left a file in his room that he needed to pick up and asked Tetsuo to walk down with him.  It seemed the old man could tell how irritated Seki was getting.  The two shared small talk about the bar the MWPSB offered its latent population and Pops mentioned maybe the two of them should play pool sometime.  As, Tet was about to agree, he saw Mina walking towards them down the hall.  
  
“Chibi!” he greeted cheerfully.  
  
“Hey, fellas.  What are you two troublemakers talking about?” she questioned.  Her tone seemed relaxed, but she looked worried about something.  
  
“We were talking about going to play pool and having a few drinks tonight.  Want to join us?” Tet invited, ignoring Pops questioning glance.   _So they hadn’t actually said they would go that night, but Mina looked like she needed some fun.  
_  
Tetsuo was glad to see that Mina looked thrilled by the invitation and readily accepted before hugging the two of them, jumping to try to ruffle Tet’s hair, and then heading on her way back to the HQ.  
  
This was it.  Tonight would be the night he would have the courage to put it all out there, as long as they didn’t get interrupted by Kougami once again.  He made a deal with himself that he would ask point blank that evening if she felt for him the way he felt for her.  Tetsuo would do his best to find out if he had a chance at being the one to love Mina.    
  
  
********   
  
When Erra had received the call from Mina, it had not come as a surprise.  The inspector had watched Hound 4 grow more and more anxious as the days until the presentation dwindled to hours.  Her expectation had been to find the shorter woman fussing about and wanting assistance with clothing or make up and maybe needing a few encouraging words.   It would not be the first time Mina solicited her assistance with such matters.       
  
So, when she walked in and found her friend very calmly putting all the bits and pieces of a skeleton together on a long metal tray, in her pajamas, she had giggled.  “Are we _not_ doing the presentation today, because I am pretty sure that as relaxed of an atmosphere as there is in Masaoka's apartment, that attire would be considered...” She searched for a word that wouldn't come off as insulting.     
  
“Unacceptable.  I know.  I know!”  Nakamura's hand waved in the air as she held a very tiny fragment up to the light.  “I just got really agitated and nervous.  Are my normal clothes okay for this?  Ugh.  I can't even make a decision about my clothes.  How am I supposed to present all of this without sounding like an idiot?  And, if I look like an idiot it will make me sound like an idiot, right?”     
  
Kamiya chewed on her bottom lip for a moment and observed her enforcer debate on what side a thick chunky bone belonged to by placing it on her body.  Apparently, it was a part of the foot.  It struck the inspector that Nakamura was entirely in her element working in this make-shift bone lab.  “You won't sound like an idiot, but I really do suggest getting ready.  We don't have too long before it starts.  I'll help you with the clothes, which will make you feel better.  Trust me.”  Erra tried to wait patiently, but after two minutes had passed she cleared her throat.     
  
Mina's finger shot up as she said, “Just a couple more minutes.”  The shorter woman's other fingers were running along what looked like a rib, and her face was one of very deep concentration.     
  
“Mina, you're procrastinating.  Put down the... whatever the hell that is, and show me your closet.”  The bone looked a bit like an alien moth with a broken wing.     
  
“It's a sphenoid, and...” The 'sphenoid’ was placed on the metal tray very carefully, “you're right.  It's just so much easier to sit in here and do the work and put it on paper than actually showing a group of people.  Some of whom feel that what I am doing here is, not only antiquated, but also ineffectual.”     
  
“You wouldn't be doing the work if we thought there was no value in it,” she countered.  “I think you are trying to talk yourself out of giving the presentation.  I can see it on your face.”     
  
“No.  I just want to do them justice, and worry that I won't,” she said gesturing to the remains surrounding her.     
  
“If you don't at least try, you haven't done anything for them.”  Erra needed to get her out of this mood.  Eyeing Nakamura, she made the decision to completely change focus.     
  
When her hand wrapped around the shorter woman's wrist, Mina's “hey!” was more of surprise rather than defiance.  It wasn't long before they had marched into the mess Mina called a bedroom.     
  
“Are these the clothes you tried on?”  Erra didn't mean to sound patronizing, but nothing laying across the bed was really suitable for a presentation, if Mina wanted Ginoza to take her as a professional.     
  
“Yes.  Damn it, I thought at first that I would just wear my normal clothes, but then I remembered how much of a big deal Inspector Ginoza made about the team looking like professionals.  He was _clearly_ directing that towards me.  He always wrinkles his nose and says things like, ‘At least pull that mess of hair out of your eyes!’ or tells me how sloppy my boots and tie look.  I guess I just got overwhelmed.”     
  
Kamiya didn’t bother to contradict her.  She knew that Ginoza cared about appearances and took great pride in having a team look ready to take on anything at all times.  She preferred things that way herself.  “Looking professional, feeling professional” as far as she was concerned.  Erra’s father had placed a great deal of stock on outward appearances as she was growing up, but that kind of attention to detail was clearly something that wasn’t even on Nakamura’s radar…not when it came to clothing and the like.  
  
The inspector walked to the closet and started pulling out items.  Some of them the women had gone to buy together, so those had never really had the chance to be worn.  It was kind of amazing to think that the person behind her could compile so much data from just bones, go one-on-one sparring with Kougami, and handle herself out in the field rather well, but she couldn't manage to pick out an outfit suitable for the office.    
  
What did Kougami think of it?  That guy always looked well put-together.  She giggled almost inaudibly thinking about it, before pulling a few more selections.  “Don't worry, Mina.  I am here to help.  You just keep your focus on the content of what you will show us, and I will make sure you look as smart as you are.”     
  
“Thank you, Erra.  I'm sorry to bother.  This is not my element.”     
  
The inspector found herself smiling.  No, this was definitely not her subordinate's forte.  It only took Erra ten minutes to find a skirt and blouse that was satisfactory.  As Mina dressed, Erra told her, “If you look the part, you will feel the part, and then you will feel more confident.”    
  
The other woman was looking in the mirror, pouting, looking completely unconvinced by Kamiya’s logic.  “None of that, Mina.  You look quite sharp.  Let's get your hair into something less like a rats’ nest.”     
  
Mina didn’t even look offended.  She had often used the phrase to describe her own hair.  As Erra’s pale fingers worked through the messy strands, Nakamura said, “Thank you for supporting me.  I really feel like it would have been a crime to just let those people go to the incinerator without so much as a cursory inspection.  I don't think Inspector Fussy-Britches would have agreed if you hadn’t done so first.”     
  
The brush she had been using was smacked lightly on the top of the brunette's head.  “Give him some credit.  He might have.  I agree, he may have needed a push in that direction, but I believe it’s only because he has a healthier sense of fear of Sybil’s reach than you or me.  You have to think, he's juggling a lot, and had he been adamant about not moving forward, I _would_ have backed his decision.   I know he weighs heavily what’s best for Division One as a unit, before he proceeds.  You must know that.  It was a hard decision, because if we're found out...”   
  
“I know.  I know.  It has put everyone in danger of losing their job or going to rehab…possibly worse.  I just couldn't let it go, and I know you understand why,” Mina interrupted.  The smaller woman looked at Erra with a kind yet worried expression that let her know she was thinking about her lost husband.  
  
After a few moments of quiet, she said.  “Maybe he would have agreed on his own, though I’m sure I’m not included when he weighs Division One’s safety—not yet, anyhow.  Whatever you may think, I think you are good for Ginoza.  He really admires you.  I have yet to see him treat _anyone_ with the same respect he gives you.  Have you guys done any...”     
  
“Nope.  No way, Mina.  Not going to talk about that.”  The subject of her attraction to her partner was something that she had not completely sorted out herself.  It could do no good to talk about it until she was, at least, positive of her own stance on it.     
  
“If you won't, then I will,” Mina said stubbornly.  “I've seen him change as you two get closer, Erra, that much is clear to almost anyone.  That’s not what I wanted to point out, though.  I don’t know if you’ve noticed it yourself, but you seem happier too.  He makes you smile, even when he is being horrible.  Besides that, you can’t stop staring at the man when you think no one is looking, but I’ve caught you at it more than once.  Why hold back?”   
  
Kamiya was more than a little uncomfortable with the conversation.  Especially considering she had been working so hard to squelch any feelings that had been surfacing for her partner.  She was a married woman, after all—and she still loved Ren tremendously.  “Tch.  Are you done?  That’s really something I don’t want to get into now, Mina.  How would you like it if I questioned you about Kougami?”   
  
“There is no need to question it.  The situation is exactly what it looks like.  It's transparent.  We’re physically attracted to each other and we fuck.  What more would you talk about?”   
  
It was a struggle not to argue with her friend.  Erra had _plenty_ she could talk about concerning the ‘situation’ with Kougami and Mina’s actual feelings for the man.  Time was running out, however, and she didn't want to have Mina all keyed up before their meeting.  She simply shrugged her response and that seemed to end both lines of conversation for now.    
  
Kamiya backed away from her work, happy with how her friend looked.  “You know, you clean up pretty well.  You _might_ even pass as a professional.”     
  
“Great, thanks.”  Nakamura stood and eyed her outfit with distrust, but said nothing against it.  Instead she said, “Seriously, though, thank you.  I feel like this might actually make me feel a tiny bit better…”  
  
“I need to go to my office for a few minutes beforehand.  Do you need me to help with anything else?” Erra asked.  
  
“No,” her friend commented.  “You go on ahead.  I'll be right behind you.”     
  
Mina, as if it were completely natural, brought Erra into a hug.  It startled the inspector for a moment, since the only person she had hugged in years was her father.  It felt nice to be embraced with such ease and trust, though, and Kami couldn’t help her grin as she returned the sweet gesture.  
  
“You are going to do great.  I’ll see you in a bit.”  With that, she left and made her way upstairs to Division One’s set of offices.     
  
She couldn't tell if she was just paranoid because her team was about to meet to discuss an illegal investigation, or if the hallways actually _were_ more crowded with a bunch of people she didn't readily recognize.  Erra was so preoccupied with her own thoughts that she didn't even notice the woman walking right towards her, calling her name.  She was one of the analysts that had assisted Division One a couple of times, but not enough for Kami to remember her name offhand.  As it was, the woman looked harassed and worried.   
  
“Inspector Kamiya, I am so sorry to bother you, but can I talk to you about something?”  The words were laced with nervous tension.      
  
The name tag on the woman's uniform read Yoshie, and while Erra knew it would make her late, she wasn't going to ignore someone in such a state.  “Of course, Ms. Yoshie.  What can I help you with?”     
  
“Someone told me you’re certified as a counselor.  Is that true?”  
  
The woman was obviously agitated, but seemed a little relieved once Kamiya nodded her head.  
  
“Can we talk in private somewhere?”  Her hands shook as she pointed to the nearest empty conference room.     
  
With another nod, the inspector led the way and used her badge to open the room.  As soon as the door closed, Yoshie's words came out in a rush.     
  
“I was afraid one that no one else would take what I have to say seriously, but I have to tell someone.  I just don't know what to do about it.  The new Chips 4 from Division Two is following me around and leaving me really creepy notes and the other day he rubbed up against me.  He just seems to be getting more and more aggressive and today he came into where I work while I was alone and I really felt frightened that he would try something and... I don't even know what the protocol for this is.”     
  
Yoshie was a young woman, probably not even twenty yet, but in her anxious state, she looked even younger.  Erra placed a hand on her shoulder and asked, “Have you mentioned this to your superiors?”  
  
“Yes, of course!  But they just brought up his hue information and said there were no indicators that he would try anything out of line, but Ms. Kamiya, he’s already been out of line…hasn’t he?  Two other girls told me he’s been saying horrible things to them, as well.”  
  
“I would say that that is definitely over the line, indicators or not.”  She grit her teeth, anger coursing through her.       
  
Yoshie's hands were shaking and tears were pooling in her eyes.  
  
“I’m worried that maybe it’s me whose psycho-pass is getting too close to cloudy.  That’s why I came to see you.  Can’t you do something to convince me I’m overreacting?  Talk some sense into me or something?  The numbers never lie, right?  So if he’s doing everything else right, it must be me that has the problem.  I can’t even focus on my job anymore.  Please help me, Inspector.  I don’t want to lose my job.”  
  
Kamiya gestured for the analyst to sit in one of the many vacant chairs, as she did the same.    
  
This type of oversight was unacceptable.  First Dr. Yoshitsu, a horrible human being who tried to _kill_ her enforcer, had a passable hue— even after the fact, according to Seki.  Now, Division Two’s newest enforcer was harassing someone…no…more than one someone, and no one thought to even reprimand him, because his hue was okay.  This wasn’t even the first mention to Kamiya of the man being inappropriate, though until now it had all been secondhand information.    
  
If there was one thing that had become concrete for Erra with Yoshie’s added pleas, it was her distrust in Sybil's ability to cast correct judgment on everyone.  It was clear to her now that Sybil wasn’t as infallible as the populous was led to believe.  There was something amiss if the system failed to judge certain reprehensible people like that as a threat.  One through the cracks was too many, but two in as many days and right inside the Criminal Investigation Division’s main building.  Erra was tired of glossing over things and pulling her punches.  This situation needed to be handled.     
  
“I apologize, Ms. Yoshie, but I cannot do what you’ve requested.  I am not going to convince you that you are overreacting.  You are having a very normal reaction to a stressful and potentially dangerous situation.  I am taking everything you just said seriously, and even though his hue is passing, I think that action needs to be taken.  I will find a way to take care of this,” she said with conviction.  “I don’t want you to fear that you’ve done anything wrong, because that can definitely cloud your hue, but I will have to ask that you let me handle this discreetly.  Please mention this to no one else.”  
  
After covering some basic tips to keep Yoshie safe until the problem was rectified, the analyst left looking much more like herself.  Apparently, vindicating the woman's feelings had helped.  It would likely be difficult for the young woman to keep it under her hat, so Erra would need to act quickly.  She needed a plan…today if that was possible.   
  
As Kamiya rushed to make it to the meeting on time, she thought of all the times she had caught the disgusting, little creep staring at her.  She had even found him leering at Mina at the gym one day and was about to send him on his way, but Kougami had walked up and said something that had the guy scurrying.  In a way, Erra had hoped for him to try something with her or Nakamura, because either of them would knock him on his ass.  That poor analyst had simply had almost no ability to handle such a situation.     
  
Maybe there was a solution in that thought alone.  If he actually made an inappropriate move on a criminal investigator…with witnesses present… It would take some baiting on her part to tempt the creep into being so bold.  She wasn’t comfortable with such a cheap tactic, but it would be worth it if it was enough to keep the CID employees safe—wouldn’t it?  Erra took her position of leadership very seriously, and part of that leadership meant keeping those under her as safe as possible.  Being in charge didn't just mean giving orders.  In a way, she sometimes felt like a mother hen.  What had happened to Nakamura had been quite a blow to that sense of responsibility, and had caused her to promise nothing like that would happen again to her little “flock.”  
  
She arrived at the same time as her partner who gently placed his hand at the small of her back, ushering her in.  This gesture was now commonplace and comfortable…a habit he had formed that she hoped he never broke.  As they moved to find a seat, he said,   
  
“You look angry, Kami.  Did something happen on the way here?”  For once, he read her like a book.     
  
“Nothing that I can't handle, Ginoza.  Is Mina here yet?”  They sat in side by side and watched as Masaoka set up what looked to be some really old equipment.     
  
“No.  She is not.”  His words were short and his frustration formed a crease between his eyes.  Hound 4's tardiness obviously grated on his nerves.     
  
Kami sighed and fiddled with her ring.  “You two are ridiculous,” she muttered under her breath.     
  
“What do you mean?”  He had leaned a little closer to her, and something about the striking green of his eyes, quietness of his voice, and the warmth of his body had Kamiya forgetting her original train of thought momentarily.     
  
Once she remembered her exasperating train of thought she said, “Tch.  Just give her a _little_ slack, Gino.  She has worked her ass off doing something that none of us could do.  She just wants to see these people find justice.  She knows the stakes.”     
  
He kind of looked like a reprimanded child, but only briefly.  Before his rebuttal could leave his lips, Mina walked in looking very self-conscious.  It was only a few minutes before Pops had them up and running.   
  
Erra had known that Nakamura's presentation was going to have a lot of information in it, but she had not been prepared for the plethora of evidence gathered.  It was disheartening and sad and thoughts of Ren were unavoidable.  What if he had been one of the people incinerated?  Had he died in terrible pain after being tortured or horribly sick?  It was crazy to think that Sybil would not have recognized her husband, though, or any of the people for that matter.  What was even crazier was that Mina seemed to think she could gather more information.  She wasn't even done with all their work ups.  Erra found it terribly impressive.  
  
She watched as her team came together to continue the case.  All of them seemed to find their illegal investigation important, and none of them balked at asking some difficult questions.  At one point, Erra realized again that there was something between the original members of Division One— a shared secret, probably having to do with her predecessor, and it seemed that that was a driving force behind their steadfast need to solve these murders.  Even her partner pitched in, and in the end, put them to work following clues.       
  
The diligent way that even Ginoza was willing to focus on this injustice was more than enough to make up Erra’s mind on the question of Chips 4.  Whatever it took for her to get that guy out of here before he harmed someone, she would do—and she would do it at the nearest opportunity.  The end of the workday would present a perfect occasion.  
  
When she finally sat down in her office, Kamiya ignored her ever growing list of emails and tried to just decompress.  All the while, the jumbled information gathered in the past few weeks was filed, organized, weighed, and diagrammed—stored privately away in her mind.     
  
On one side of the coin, there was Chief Kaisei, who had blind-sided her by bringing up Ren.  Erra had never figured that the chief knew _anything_ about her missing husband, and while her superior's words had indicated empathy and assistance, the sentiment had seemed false.  When Kami had left the meeting, she realized that she was more disturbed by the special attention than grateful.  Still, she had to admit that even with the discrepancy in emotion, the idea of having the full co-operation of the chief had been extremely tempting.  It was all just _too_ orchestrated, and it came off as if Ren were merely a scapegoat meant to throw her off, after the issue with Yoshitsu.  Erra didn’t like that at all.   
  
On the other side of the coin, there was the investigation.  There was no way to know if Ren was actually in one of those shallow pits, and even if she had discovered that he was assuredly not one of them, the circumstances surrounding the unmarked graves hit too close to home.  The fact remained; he _could_ have been one of them.  Unlike with the chief, their illegal investigation was genuine and made her feel as though she was closer to finding the truth.  If they could discover _why_ these poor souls had ended up where they were and been completely unidentifiable, surely that would offer substantial information on where her husband had disappeared.  
  
Erra decided it was best to squash the concept of Kaisei giving actual aid in her search for closure.  She wouldn’t say anything to contradict the deceitful woman and would pretend that she fully expected happy results from her superior, hopefully keeping her off the scent of her own betrayal to the MWPSB.    
  
The dead currently residing in Mina's kitchen had opened her eyes to new possibilities concerning Ren.  She would trust her team and her own instincts to come up with the answers, like she had originally planned.  She would also do whatever she needed to do to protect her new family, starting with getting rid of the threat of Chips 4 to the women in the division.  
  
  
********   
  
The two men were already there by the time she was ready.  It had taken a bit of time after the end of the work day to make herself presentable, and really she had needed the time to stop thinking about Nago and Kishio.  It had seemed like all of her brother's friends had disappeared when Brolin Yamaji settled into her life, and she had spent the time believing he was the one who chased them away—but now, maybe she knew the real reason why.  Maybe Brolin wasn’t actually to blame for that.  Maybe they were all together during a raid.  She sincerely hoped that answers could be found, here, with Division One, but the only way to get a foothold would be to get that damned bag of her brother’s back to the CID.     
  
For a few minutes, she had felt a little guilt at not going to spar with Kougami as she usually did, but was able to talk herself out of it.  Anyway, it was probably more important to her than it was to him.   _She_ was the one getting attached, which was why she was saving her goodbye to him for last.  They may not be an actual couple, but that did not mean that they weren't close.        
  
She was happy she was out, but her social anxiety was through the roof.  There were a lot of people in the bar.  She fought back the paranoia that she was being watched, only to see a man's eyes follow her to her destination.  She tried to tug her shorts down a little, and prayed that it wasn't because there was something amiss with her face or clothing.  She somehow managed to always stain her outfits or get something in her hair before ever even leaving home.  
  
Head down, Mina made her way to the pool table closest to the bar where Pops was perched on a stool, watching Tetsuo make his shot.  She couldn’t help but note that the older man looked quite cool in this environment…no tie, a few buttons from his dress shirt undone, a glass of something amber in his hand, pool cue resting against his shoulder, and a haze of smoke that made the whole scene look straight out of some painting.  It certainly suited him.  
  
“Hey, Trouble.  Good work today,” Pops said, as he smiled and hugged her from the side with his free arm.  “You are looking rather nice.  I haven’t seen you out much besides work or the gym.”  He made no attempt to be discreet as he checked her out.   
  
“Thanks, Pops,” she blushed at the compliment.  “So, who's winning, and how do you play?”      
  
Tetsuo walked over and said, “I can't believe you've never played pool.  Are you serious?”     
  
“As the grave.  It's all new to me.  Teach me oh wise ones.”  She did an elaborate mock bow, smiling.  
  
“It just seemed like something you would know,” Tet said giving her a terribly gorgeous grin.   
  
It wasn’t just Masaoka that looked natural in this environment.  Tetsuo looked better than ever.  Mina had only seen him out of his scrubs twice in all this time, and he certainly filled out a pair of jeans nicely.  His thin, green cotton shirt clung to his chest and arms in all the right places, and on top of that, whatever cologne he was wearing smelled amazing.  
  
For the last week or so, Mina had noticed that she was thinking of Tetsuo in a different light than before.  Being with him felt comfortable.  It felt good, and in the same way that Kougami could make her weak in the knees and send her heartbeat into overtime with a mere look, Seki could like up her day with a smile.  Even during her darkest moods, just one of his grins could lighten her load.  
  
It seemed terribly unfair that she was possibly going to lose what she had found her with both he and Shinya.  The two men had been able to provide her with fulfilling friendships, albeit in very contrasting ways.  
  
She wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him their usual tight-squeezing hug.  For the millionth time, Mina reveled in the stark contrast of their frames.  He was tall and lean, with broad shoulders and long arms that felt like they could wrap around her twice—the complete opposite of her short, curvy stature.  Soaking in the sweet smell of his cologne, she lingered longer than she normally would have.  This might be the last night with him, and the thought pained Mina.  
  
“Not that I’m complaining,” Tet started, tugging playfully at her ponytail, “but are you ok, Chibs?”  
  
She couldn’t help but laugh.  “ _Chibs?!”_  
  
“What?  It’s short for ‘Chibi-chan.’ For someone like you, only the _shortest_ nickname will do,” he teased, amber eyes squinting, waiting for her response.  
  
“You think I can’t reach you being this height—you’re gonna be regretting your jokes when knee you in the groin.”  
  
“You would never hurt me.  I'm a perfectly dashing surgeon.  Plus, I would be more worried about my ankles.” He was snickering.  Those short snickers turned into a full belly laugh when she grabbed onto his side, right where he was ticklish.  “O...o...kay.  No more short jokes.”     
  
She clicked her tongue and smirked.  “Now, who is going to teach me how to do this?”  Her finger tapped the felt of the table.     
  
Masaoka explained the way the game worked and showed her by example how to make a shot.  “Got it?” He asked.     
  
“I think so.  Get ready to be beat,” she joked, but after her first try, she realized that she was not a natural.  The ball she hit wound up on the floor, much to the two men's amusement.     
  
Apparently, she had been eyeing the table with the disdain she felt, because when it was her turn again, Pops said, “Don't look so mad.  C'mere.  You’re holding the cue all wrong.”     
  
She bent over the table, and Masaoka came up beside her, the side of her torso and her hip in full contact with his warm body.  An arm came around her, and once he was situated as close as possible, his hands were guiding her fingers to the proper way to hold the cue.  His fingers were thick and strong, making sure her grip didn't budge.   
  
Pops was suave.  She had to give him that, and he always managed it in a way that didn’t come off perverted or creepy.  It was actually as though he admired the women he was flirting with, like fine works of art, and he never gave the impression that he was someone who would pressure you into a situation where he wasn’t wanted.  There was no denying that the old man had game and hardly needed effort to work his charms.  As he spoke, his voice coming out in a low grumble beside her ear, Nakamura felt the full effect of that charm and missed the majority of what he was saying.  No woman would have blamed her for that.  He basically made the shot for her.  She stepped back from the table feeling a little flustered.      
  
“Thank you, Pops,” she managed before taking a big swig of her mixed drink.  She saw Tet walk up to the old man and say something to which the reply was a chuckle and a shrug of the shoulders.    
  
Before she knew it, it was her turn again, and as expected, her attempt to sink the red striped ball was comically bad.  This time the cue ball flew off the table and right into Seki's hands.  He was giggling so much that she growled at him.     
  
“Well, Trouble, if you were aiming for Tet, that was a good shot,” Pops said, leaning against the wall, obviously holding in his own laughter.     
  
She pouted as they went through the rotation again, and was only distracted a little bit by the long line of her blond friend's body and the hint of underwear that became visible as he leaned over the table.  She wondered if maybe she should stop drinking.     
When it was her shot again Nakamura studied the table hoping that by sheer force of will she would gain a modicum of skill with the game.     
  
“Don't overthink it.  It just takes practice,” Masaoka stated from behind her.          
  
“Tch.  It's because you taught her wrong, old man.  You just have to find the right way to look at it.  Just follow my lead, Chibi.”  The nurse pulled her by the hand to the other side of the table.  “Okay.  Now look at the table and think of geometry.  You see the 15 over there?  That's going to be your easiest shot.  It has the best angle.”     
  
“I see it.  Now, how do I not send one of the balls careening off the table into one of the other players?”   
  
“Ha.  We'll get to that.”     
  
She almost squeaked when she felt his warm hand on the bare skin of her inner thigh, guiding her legs into a proper position.  It might have been her imagination, but it seemed he had gone a little higher than necessary.  It _wasn't_ her imagination that she was just fine with that.  His touch was welcome.  She’d made that abundantly clear time and again, and she was guiltier than he was of being a little handsy. They flirted all the time, this was just part of their dynamic.     
  
“Good.  The feet are just as important as the hands. Now, lean over the table,” he said.  Then he put his hand on and gave an almost imperceptible push between her shoulder blades.  It was by no means anything more than guidance to what she was already doing, but something about the way his hand seemed to span such a large amount of space on her back made her thoughts as hazy as smoke-filled bar.    
  
In less than a second, Mina was surrounded by him, feeling the movement of corded lean muscle along her arms until finally he was helping her position the stick.  He was being extremely cautious not to lean his lower half too close to her, which caused its own awkwardness.    
  
Tetsuo made a sputtering sound. “I'm eating your hair.”   
  
Gently her hair was swept to one side, fingertips lightly grazed the back of her neck in the process.  Her skin tightened, and there was no doubting the hitch in her breath as his words left puffs of heat across the nape of her neck.  She really hoped he hadn't felt that.  She also hoped that her blush was not making its way to the back of her neck.       
  
“So, you don't want to hit the ball right in the middle.  You want it to hit more to the left.  Try to see the angles.”  His hand was over hers, and she swallowed after thinking of how long his fingers were.  There was no damned way she would ever learn how to play the game.  Not at this rate.   
  
“And the trick to not having the ball fly off the table is in the way you hit it.  You want it to collide with enough force to move what you are trying to hit, but nothing more.”  The man's voice was softer, making her concentration go out the window.     
  
Tetsuo was close enough to kiss her skin, and suddenly that was all she could think about.  She _wanted_ him to kiss her skin…maybe more.  She was feeling a little frustrated that he wasn’t leaned further against her.        
  
“In this case, you want to gently tap it.”     
  
The ball went in, but Mina was sure that repeating it would be impossible.  Did he even know what he was doing to her?     
  
Other than looking a little flushed he was acting like everything was normal, though he’d had more to drink than her.  Mina filed the experience away and fell into their normal banter.     
  
It wasn't long before they were telling tasteless jokes, and poor Masaoka was cringing.     
  
“Wait.  Back up.   What is adiopocere and exactly what did you do with it?” He questioned the nurse.     
  
“Adiopocere is a waxy substance that forms on the skin after death,” Mina supplied, purposely keeping her attention off of the bar.  Kou was there.   
  
“And I kind of formed it into the shape of an ear in med school... you know... to be funny because _ear_ and adiopoc- _ere_.  Get it?”     
  
Nakamura was laughing, because it was awful and tasteless and exactly the sort of thing her family would do, which she found hilarious, but Pops looked scandalized.  “Pops, if you think that's bad, before people knew too much about how the body broke down, a guy actually made candles out of the stuff.”  Her giggling was interrupted by Seki.   
  
“Hey, isn't that Kou?” Tetsuo asked, looking behind him at the bar.   
  
“I guess he didn't see us,” Masaoka said, raising his hand and opening his mouth in an obvious gesture to catch the steel-eyed man's attention.     
  
Mina grabbed his hand, which halted his speech. “I think he saw us.  Leave him be.  He'll come over if he wants to,” she said.  She had watched him come in, walk full of swagger, and was sure that he had seen them.  “Anyways, I think he may be chatting up the gorgeous blonde beside him, and it would be bad form to interrupt.”    
  
It was true, and Mina had to admit, she was jealous.  The woman he was talking to looked like a fashion model.  The brunette really could not blame him.  It kind of ruined her plans for the rest of the night though.  She had had every intention of saying goodbye to Kou's body, just in case she was kicked out of the CID.      
  
Tetsuo lightly kicked her shin and gave her a questioning look that she chose to ignore as she carefully made sure her expression was neutral.  It would not do well to get upset over someone who she had no real claim over.    
  
 _That's right, Mina.  It was just fucking.... Isn't that all it ever is?_  This may be her last night outside of rehab, and nothing was going to ruin that, certainly not sulking.     
  
This kind of thing was something she had actually expected to happen a long time ago, but at least she’d been able to enjoy him until the end.  She had established early on that Kou was very much out of her league.  Therefore, the woman had assumed that that he would move on to the next best thing, once it appeared.    
  
It had been quite some time since anyone, but Brolin had paid her any mind.  Well, as far as she could remember, anyway, not counting that five year gap in her memory.  Not used to the attention, Nakamura had been a little shocked that she caught Kougami’s at all.  The fact that Tetsuo was at least vaguely interested was also a surprise to the woman.  Brolin had spent years making it perfectly clear what men wanted from her, and Mina didn’t understand why these two seemed to put so much effort into their attempts.  If they wanted to have sex with her, she didn’t care.  They only needed to show up and ask.   
  
She had to constantly remind herself that sex and relationships were not thought of the same way here, as they were in the Unregistered community.  In terms of sex, it was a more relaxed affair back home.  It wasn't that the act wasn't respected.  It was that it wasn't taboo....at all.  Mina had grown up knowing the mechanics of it from an early age and had been given the advice that it was never something shameful, so long as both partners were of age and consenting.  It also wasn't uncommon to have multiple partners.    
  
It was all up to the individual as to how they handled his or her sex life.  There were a few groups who still had traditions that went against the community's popular opinion, but for the most part, everyone followed the same way of thinking.  Mina's parents seemed to think that the reason the Unregistereds had developed such a flexible attitude about coitus was the low birth rate.  Their population was too low, and everyone knew it was important to procreate.  Why put hurdles in the way?  Children were a gift for them, and no matter how they came about, they were cared for and loved by a full group of people.     
  
Established relationships that may lead to marriage had their own set of rules, but her people's attitude towards them was still more fluid than that of the Sybilites.  It had horrified her to find out after a few conversations and research that Sybil typically chose who a person married.  A computer was making a very _human_ decision, and it was frightening.  Erra had made her feel a little better when she said that it wasn't compulsory after talking about her late husband.  The idea of it would never not be unsettling, but at least the system wasn't biased against same sex couples as she had expected.  She had to give it points for that.    
  
Back home, some people were monogamous, some were in open relationships, and others practiced polyamory. For the most part, there was no judgment.  Love was love, no matter how you did it.  There were very specific ritual steps that established the seriousness of a relationship leading up to marriage and divorce, if necessary.    
  
Sometimes Mina forgot that she was in a different culture and that some of the things she wanted were not possible or acceptable where she was.  For Mina, sex was always much better with some type of emotional connection or friendship and she preferred it that way.  She imagined sex with Tetsuo would be just as fulfilling as the sex she had with Kougami, but she no longer had the confidence to be as free as she was with her people.    
  
She took another huge swig of her drink as her thoughts took her to that dark place where Brolin's voice mocked her time and again.    
  
 _I wish I could be more like Erra_ , she thought to herself.  But she wasn't like her, and she certainly wasn't anything near the tall, well kept, lithe blonde smiling playfully at Kou.     
  
Her thinking was interrupted by the old man saying petulantly, “He could at least say hi.  The man owes me a drink.” He turned, and Mina stopped him again.     
  
“I'll buy you a drink, Pops,” she said, elbowing him in his side.  He just grinned and draped his arm across her shoulders. “Let him get his flirt on!  You'd flirt with her, too.  She's super sexy.  Hell, I'd give a toe to be that damned good looking,” she stated knocking her drink back, hoping the alcohol would distract her from that dark place she liked to escape to with moods like this.   
  
Brolin was always there with commentary.  Why couldn’t he just shut up?  Some days it was like he never happened at all, and others, her confidence was torn to shreds with every memory of the man.  She reminded herself it was best to stay grounded with her friends.  Best to leave the CID with good memories.  She focused on the warmth of Masaoka's tall frame, and leaned into it a bit.   
  
The handsome blond nurse turned and looked for himself.  “She's not that pretty,” he said, placating her, which kind of made her angry.   
  
_When a man tells a girl like you that she’s beautiful, you know he’s looking at those tits of yours and thinking about how to get in your panties.  It ain’t a real compliment, babe.  No man but me would want to be with a girl like you._  She heard him loud and clear right now.  
  
 _I know that, Brolin.  Of course, I know that._  
  
Masaoka moved away to line up his shot.       
  
“You don't have to placate me.  I disagree with that statement.  Look at her hair, her body, and her face.  That is a beautiful woman.  I am not saying I'm ugly or anything, but I’m realistic.  I have been told, with great enthusiasm, how the opposite sex views me.  I am very comfortable with my knowledge, please and thank you.”  Brolin came into her head again.   
  
_Don’t delude yourself again, hun.  You’ll just be disappointed._  
  
Her statement caused Tetsuo to do something he had never done once since their meeting, and it caught her quite off-guard.  He got angry with her.  
  
“Don’t tell me what I do or don’t find attractive, Mina—and don’t accuse me of being so patronizing that I feel the need to ‘placate’ you to protect your fragile, little ego.  Do I…is that really the type of friendship you think we have?  You think I just hang around you like some charity case to make you feel better about yourself?  What the fuck, Mina?”  His expression was so hurt and his voice so exasperated. Mina’s stomach actually ached to see him so irritated and know she was the cause.  She couldn’t immediately think of a response.  
  
“I never know what’s going on between you and Kougami, but just because he’s pissing you off doesn’t give you the right to take it out on me.”  
  
“I w-wasn’t pissed.  I was just saying I understand why he would want that woman more than me.  She’s gorgeous,” she said.  
  
Mina tried to get him to see reason.  It was easier to think that way and justify Kou's actions with her twisted logic.  She had assumed that she was important and beautiful to Brolin, because he acted like she was, in the beginning, but that had blown up in her face epically.  Once he had her isolated, what he really thought had come out.  Day by day he berated her body and her mind with what he had called reality.  It was the easy route to think little of herself so she wasn't crushed when it all came crashing down. She felt deeply for both Kou and Tet, and both of them had the power to destroy her in that same way.    
  
 _You’re disgusting!  What would your family think of you if they could see you?  You left the rest of your people, all to come with me because you know the truth.  No one but me can deal with you and your shit now._   
  
“I don’t agree,” he said, throwing his hands up in frustration.  
  
“Easy for you to say.  You might as well be a male model,” she retorted.  
  
There was a pause on Seki’s part and pink colored his cheeks, only making him look more damned attractive.  
  
“Easy for me to say?  Yes!  It’s easy for me to say that I don’t see what you think that woman has that you don’t.  It’s easy for me to say that I don’t understand why Kougami…or any guy…would want her more than you,” he exclaimed.  
  
Mina shook her head and began to walk back towards Masaoka.  
  
“Excuse us for a moment, Pops,” Tet said, grabbing Mina’s hand and walking to a more secluded corner.  
  
She was feeling terribly embarrassed and uneasy over his words.  Stuff like this didn’t apply to her.  It was fine.  Brolin made it fine.  She tried harder to ground herself, remembering that past pain.  
  
His voice was softer now, but still adamant.  “I don’t know what has you thinking these thoughts, Chibs, but listen to me.  You _know_ me.  You know me better than anyone.  Have I ever been the kind of person to lie or get this worked up just to spare someone’s feelings?!”  
  
It struck her then that Brolin had not just ruined her past, he was ruining her future, and it wasn't fair.  All it took was a comparison.  Brolin was not Tetsuo or Kou, the two men closest to her.  Mina was aware that her past would always haunt her and cause no small amount of issues, but it wasn't fair to anyone in her life now to not take their words and at the least consider them. The sincerity in his amber eyes was beginning to drown out Brolin’s years of conditioning.  She returned his gaze and shook her head.  
  
“It doesn’t matter whether you think it.  It doesn’t matter whether Kou thinks it.  It doesn’t matter whether or not any other person thinks it, Mina.  Believe me when I tell you that, for me, there’s no woman more beautiful than you are.”  
  
She couldn’t speak and was having a little trouble remembering how to breathe.    
 _  
“My little sister.  How is it you can be so damned intelligent, but so infuriatingly dense?”_  Kishio had chided her with those words many times.  They seemed so fitting for her current situation.   
  
There was no need to argue further. Tetsuo's earnestness was clear for her to see and suddenly she couldn’t recall why she hadn’t seen this in him before now.  She had been so busy defending her heart and ignoring his genuine fondness for her...was she doing the same with Kougami?  That was something she wasn't ready for, so she put it on the back burner, and focused on the terribly sweet man in front of her.      
  
Her eyebrows furrowed together and she thought, _Brolin you certainly did a number, didn’t you?  
_  
The pair flushed lightly realizing he was still holding her hand since bringing her over to the corner.  Tet gave it a little squeeze and asked, “Would you want to hang out somewhere with less people?  It’s fine if you had other plans—“  
  
“No.  I do.  I would love to be anywhere but here right now,” Nakamura responded.  
  
“Just a minute then.  Let me tell Pops goodbye,” he said quickly.  
  
Mina leaned in the corner, feeling something she hadn’t thought meant for her, and smiling after the first person to make her feel actually beautiful since she was a teenager.  
  
  
 ** _To Be Continued..._**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have some really great commissioned art from the story and of the characters located on my DA if you want to check it out:
> 
> http://thatgingahninja.deviantart.com/gallery/56634101/Original-Character-Commissions


	16. A Little Unglued

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-authored by @jolibrix
> 
> Both Kougami and Ginoza are coming a little unglued the further they fall for their newest team members.  
> Kougami doesn't recognize his jealousy for what it is, but the emotion is driving him nuts.  
> Ginoza knows he has a deep attraction for Erra, but both she and he are slow movers. When someone threatens his partner, he struggles not to loose his cool, and it starts to bring the two closer together, at last.

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN: A Little Unglued  
  
** Mina didn’t show up to spar that afternoon, which was unheard of until now.  Every Thursday, without fail, she and Kougami would feed each other’s need to fight, to practice enhancing skills that only they shared.  Sometimes they would continue matches on Thursdays as well, so when she was late to the gym, Kou found it extremely unusual.  He waited 45 minutes for her to come and when she still didn’t show, he grabbed his stuff and headed back to his dorm.   
  
He still got his workout in, practicing hard with his handmade punching dummy, before jumping in the shower to clean off the heavy sweat.  As he stood with the hot water pouring over his sore muscles he found himself feeling annoyed at Nakamura.  He felt slighted in some way that she had missed their match and not bothered to say anything to him, despite the fact that it had never been set in stone that they meet there.  It irritated him that he was putting so much thought into the matter, so when he climbed out of the shower, he tossed on some clothes and went to find a way to get his thoughts somewhere else.   
  
The enforcer made his way to the small and crowded bar the CID offered to their latent population.  It had very strict hours, but it was still a welcome addition for people who weren’t allowed to leave the building without an escort.  Grabbing a beer from the bartender, Shinya scanned the space for someone to chat with.  He spotted the one enforcer he was trying desperately not to think about and felt his irritation with himself begin to rise again.   
  
She was at a pool table with a glass in one hand of what looked to be cranberry juice and vodka, a drink she had mentioned was a favorite, and she was leaning against her pool cue. She seemed almost relaxed for once.  Mina was standing with Pops and the two of them were both laughing heartily at something the man across from them had said…a man he was very annoyed to find Mina had spent their weekly sparring time with instead of him.   
  
It felt almost obscene watching her laugh that way.  It wasn't the soft chuckle she emitted when reading, or the short giggle that accompanied the smirk when she finally managed to best him at one of their many word wars.  It was loud and genuine and full of mirth.  She seemed bare in a way Kougami had never seen and it made him uncomfortable. Nakamura looked like she was actually happy for a few moments—free to feel happy. Shinya felt almost disgusted and something picked, as if someone was picking away an old scab. He brushed it away as not being able to stomach as she clearly embarrassed herself.   
  
Kou found himself scrutinizing everything about Seki more closely than he ever had before. Tetsuo stood out in the CID with his white-blond wavy hair, 186 centimeters of height, and amber colored eyes. Before the caregiver had become a latent criminal, Tetsuo had been a rising young surgeon in Tokyo. After his hue became too clouded, the doctor had volunteered to be one of the latents working the Medical Ward for the CID. He was no longer able to work as a real surgeon, but he was the head of the nursing staff and honored a strong work ethic that Kougami respected.   
  
In fact, Tetsuo was well liked among enforcers and inspectors alike.  He had a personality that was slightly awkward, yet personable, lending to naturally good bedside manner.  He had a way that put people at ease.  It wasn’t surprising, when Kougami thought about it, that someone like Tetsuo was able to offer Mina some sense of belonging or friendship.   
  
In spite of that, Kou felt something possessive eating at his consciousness. It made itself known more all the time, and he didn’t want Seki to beat him with Mina’s affection.  Kougami was the one that had chosen Nakamura for the team. He was the one that knew she would be a good fit for Division One.  He was the man responsible for getting her out of the rehab and off of the drugs. He was the one having her body writhe with his night after night, and the fact that she had never felt comfortable enough around him to laugh that way gave Shinya a sense of failure.   
  
He wasn’t as good at profiling her as he was with the rest of this Sybil-led dystopia, and it bothered him.  He couldn’t contain the feeling that Mina was his project that he had been working on for some time now, and the idea that someone else might crack the code before he did was intolerably frustrating.  Had she told the nurse things that she wouldn't tell him?  That was an incredibly annoying thought.    
  
As he felt a competitiveness towards Tetsuo rise, he convinced himself that was all it was.  He was ever the detective and Nakamura offered something different than the rest of the people he came across.  Mina was a puzzle—a game…and no one else would beat him to the finish.  The more time he spent with her, the closer they became, he found more questions than answers and that in itself kept him digging.    
  
The usual signals that people gave off that indicated things such as birth order or family life among other things just didn't read correctly with her, and there was no way for him to confirm any of it without her opening up.  It wasn't as though she was completely blank.  He had been able to tell from the beginning many things that turned out to be true, but there were others that he had been absolutely incorrect about.  It was frustrating for him, being a person who was typically right.    
  
A voice in his head wondered if maybe he couldn't read her correctly because he was slipping as a profiler. Maybe it wasn't that she was a mystery.  It was that he, with his newfound outlook forced by Akane, was losing his touch.  It was a frightening thought.  Profiling, knowing things about people... this was how he worked, how he functioned.  What business did he have trying to figure out the killer for their current case if he was slipping?  It was at times like these Kougami wished that he had the ability to leave the CID whenever he pleased.  He would drag Mina to Saiga, sit her down, and see how his professor dealt with the frustrating little woman.    
  
Kougami found that to be a rather amusing thought in itself and decided that he would do just that one of these days.   
  
He angled himself to where he could use his peripheral vision, attempting to make it less obvious who he was watching.  Immediately he regretted it.  Mina was bent over the pool table, and the way her back was arched made him want to be behind her, hand in those messy brown strands, fingers tight around her hip.  It was a position they had never done but that he had wanted to do for a while now.    
  
Instead, he watched as Tetsuo molded himself to her.  It looked like Seki had his nose against her neck, and for some reason that bothered him more than their close bodily contact.  Maybe it was because it made Kou think of exactly how much he liked to do the same thing.  The nurse was surprisingly suave and when Nakamura stood up, she was blushing.  Shinya hated that blush because it wasn't his.  These possessive feelings were so foreign he didn't know what to do with them.      
  
Kougami noticed that the blonde woman sitting next to him was eyeing his physique, and he thought that maybe he could test out his earlier theory.  Was he slipping?  He would see if what he gleaned about the lady was true. Striking a conversation up would be easy enough. He would profile, and then he would charm her into divulging information.   
  
Relaxed, his eyes and ears absorbed all that there was to see, and from there he was able to deduce a number of things.  She cared about her appearance, was self-conscious of the freckles across her nose, and she worked doing something light, probably secretarial work.  The woman did not want people to think that she was vain but was definitely very aware of how pretty she was.  The most attractive parts of her were flaunted with such precision that the majority of people would not notice it was done on purpose.  Watching interactions with those who approached her, he deduced that attention was nothing new to her, and in fact, she expected it, which was why the furtive glances that came his way were questioning and becoming less of a flirtation and more of a 'why won't you talk to me?'    
When his gaze tore away from her to watch as Mina and Tetsuo laughed and stood closer to each other than was necessary, he came back to his observations to find that her eyes were looking in the same place.  There was no mistaking the look of disdain and maybe even disgust claiming her features, and it was all focused on Nakamura.  A couple more minutes had him sure that she was an only child and both parents were alive.  Learning more would have been easy enough, but he felt he had spent enough time with this little experiment already.   
  
Starting up a conversation was as easy as giving her his full attention and asking her name.  It was Mariko and she had no problem divulging information about herself, unlike a certain messy haired enforcer.  It didn’t take long to discover that his skills were intact and working just fine, as Mariko mentioned being an assistant secretary for records and said something about never having siblings.    
  
The surety Shinya had thought lost was reestablished, as was the desire to go and talk to Mina.  Nakamura was _just difficult_.  It had nothing to do with his competence. He smiled to himself over all the trouble she gave him and mused that Pops’ nickname for her couldn’t have been more spot on.      
  
As Mariko spoke, the conversation became background noise.  It was easy enough to fit in the right interjections, as well as keep tabs on what was going on at the pool table.  He had caught Mina and Tet both looking his way.     
  
Nakamura and Seki were at odds about something.  Kougami could tell just by their stances.  Even from a distance, he was able to determine that she had on her defensive 'explaining' face, but the nurse was having none of it.  Shinya knew that it was damned near impossible to argue with her when she was like that.  Watching, he wondered how Tetsuo would handle it.  His bifurcated attention momentarily became singular when Tetsuo's voice rose in anger.     
  
“Hey.  Are you even listening to me?”  Mariko's voice sliced through his focus.  The blonde’s red painted mouth was turned down into a frown, somehow making the angles of her face even sharper. “I see who you're looking at.”  The sentence came out as an accusation.     
  
Kougami gave the woman a good, hard look. “ _And_?”    
  
The woman was beautiful, but the way sought his attention and the attitude she displayed when she didn't have it was turning out to be very disagreeable.  A cigarette found its way to his lips.        
  
Mariko gestured to where he had been watching.  “I’ve heard you hook up with her sometimes,” she said, nose wrinkling with distaste.  “…but those two... they're weird.  They definitely make a better pair, so why not focus on something new? I mean, maybe you haven't heard the rumors, but she is really bizarre.”   
  
“Really.” The response was bland and showed his very real lack of interest.   
  
Tetsuo was at the bar, not too far away, purchasing an entire bottle of something.  It was very quick, but the nurse managed to give him a cantankerous look before walking off.   _Definitely make a better pair_ repeated in his head and he couldn’t stop the scowl that formed on his features.  
  
“Uh, yeah.  I saw that Inspector Kamiya _teaching_ her to use the food machines!  Who can’t do that at her age? She can't even get the coffee machine to work, and she tries to push open the doors.  And look at her hair.  Who would go out like that?  I mean, there are a few guys here who are all about her, but she isn't even that pretty.”  She spat the words out with sincere incredulity.  Jealousy was coming off of her in waves.       
  
Kougami had to fight the laugh building in his chest.  How would Mina react if she knew that the lady in front of him was jealous?  She would find it ridiculous, he was sure.  Smirking, he refrained from responding.     
  
Unabashedly, both of them stared as the topic of Mariko's rant and Tetsuo made their way out of the bar.  The nurse was holding onto her hand, leading.  Mina looked rather shy and embarrassed... and maybe a little uncomfortable.  It wasn't a look she commonly wore around Seki, and it made Kou wonder exactly what had happened while Mariko was venting her frustration and jealousy.   
  
“See?  She’s not worth the headache.  Let’s blow off a little steam, you and me.  I’ll get your mind off that little weirdo. What do you say?” she asked, suggestively crossing and uncrossing her legs.  
  
Kou laughed at the woman’s pettiness.  
  
“You know, you can do much better than her.”  The blonde had placed a hand on his bicep.  It was odd, he thought, that she had taken his non-committal responses for agreement.   
  
Slipping off of the bar stool, Shinya electronically closed his tab and responded with, “Can I?”  He took a final drag off of his cigarette and snubbed it out.  “It was nice meeting you, Mariko.”     
  
He didn't look back as he made his way out of the bar.  It was plenty easy to deduce just what kind of expression she was wearing.  
  
  
********  
  
Division One all had their own exercise routines, ways they liked to stay in shape, and frequency of workouts.  However, they had an unspoken understanding that all of them use the facility on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Erra was very active in reminding them all, trying to encourage team building.  So, the same afternoon that Mina had missed her usual sparring session with Kougami, Ginoza also showed up to the gym.  He was later than normal and when he arrived, he could barely get through the door for the group of CID employees standing about in his way.   
  
He huffed and pushed his way to the other side.  Heading towards the treadmills, Gino glanced to the left and saw why the group of men seemed so distracted.  He almost bumped into the gym equipment himself.  A pair of soft-looking, light blue, ladies’ athletic shorts were raised high into the air, clinging enticingly at his partner’s behind.  Kami was doing her warm up stretching, and there was no question that the group of men dared not interrupt her or tear their lecherous stares away from the fabled “best ass in the MWPSB.”  It was something of a novelty by now.    
  
Ginoza found it a little odd that the perceptive woman seemed not to notice or care that she was offering something of a “free show” considering Erra always did her stretching in a corner with Kunizuka, Karanomori, or himself—and never facing away from the door.  Though Nobuchika was guilty of staring as well, he couldn’t allow the display to continue.  He walked over and broke all of the gazes by standing with his body blocking the view.  He crossed his arms and glared at each of them.    
  
Loudly, he said, “Unless you have a specific question for Inspector Kamiya, get to your workouts or get to the showers.”  Though there were eye rolls and groans, most of them dispersed quickly, knowing their top inspector wasn’t one to test.  He would write them up as soon as look at them, if he felt they weren’t following orders.  
  
“Do you have something to ask, Chips 4?” he addressed the one remaining man.  This man hadn’t been with the force long, and Ginoza wasn’t even sure of his name.  
  
“Not to _you_ ,” snipped Division Two’s newest enforcer.    
  
Kami was standing at her partner’s shoulder now.  Sternly, she warned, “Watch your tone when you speak to your superiors, Enforcer—especially our top man.”  Gino felt a little pride in the way she had quickly defended her teammate.  “Now, get out, or you ask me whatever it was you wanted to ask, if you’re feeling bold enough in front of the pair of us, that is.”   
  
Shepherd One shot her a puzzled glance.  It was clearly a statement meant to bait the man, which seemed out of character for the therapist.  She obviously thought this man had something inappropriate to say.  
  
The enforcer glowered at both of them a moment and took a few steps closer to Erra.  “You know something?  I bet it would be worth it to see the look on your smug face,” he sneered.  Ginoza’s fist twitched at the intimidating way the man approached the redhead.  He calmly reminded himself that Kami was more than capable of handling herself.   
  
“Worth what?” he questioned the creep, the venom in his tone hardly concealed.  
  
“Worth the smack on the hand she _clearly_ wants to give me, Inspector.”  Looking her up and down, the enforcer leered, “You like to feel in charge, sweetheart, I can see that, but that's only because you don't know any better.  What I would do for you would change your whole life.  I was thinking, if I ever found you alone, I’d give you _exactly_ what you’re begging for in those shorts, bending that sweet ass for everyone to see.“  
  
Gino felt his pulse quicken and he took a single step forward, but Erra stopped him, putting the back of her hand to his t-shirt clad chest.  Crossing her arms, she responded to the disgusting man, “Perhaps you could enlighten me.  What is it, _exactly_ , that I was begging you for during my warm-up?”  
  
Chips 4 snickered.  “Don’t play dumb, honey.  Just because your uptight partner is here now is no reason to pretend you weren’t out there waiting for a man like me.  A man who knows what to do with a bossy woman like you.”  
  
He leaned forward more and inhaled the scent of Kamiya’s hair deeply.  By now Gino’s pulse was deafening in his ears.  He glanced to his partner, who still stood stone-faced against the pervert’s advances.  Why didn’t she stop him?    
  
“You’ve come to the right man, sweetheart.  Next time you’re alone, I can guarantee to come _fuck_ the hell out of that ass like you deser—“  
  
Kamiya got the chance to slap him forcefully against his face just before Ginoza grabbed the enforcer by his arm, spun it to restrain behind him, and dropped him face first to the ground, pinning him there with a knee.  
  
“You’re out of here, do you understand that?  Out of this police force; out of this building; out of this society.” his voice sounded dangerous, even to his own ears.  “Who do you think you’re talking to, you piece of trash?  That is the second highest ranked inspector in the PSB.  She is your superior, and you think that it’s fine to threaten her that way?!  Even if that wasn’t the case, even if she were some latent I didn’t know at a rehab, your words were vile and _disgusting_ , and those kind of threats won’t be tolerated from our enforcers.  Not ever.”  Ginoza gave the jackass a deadly glare as he stood him back to his feet and handed his custody over to the security drones that Kami had contacted.    
  
“What the hell are you talking about?  It’s not a threat when the bitch wants it.  If you were man enough to handle your women, she wouldn’t have been out fishing for a dick to fill her up.”    
  
He’d kept his cool as long as was possible for him.  With the enforcer still restrained by the drones, Ginoza took the cheap shot and broke the man’s nose with an up-thrust from the heel of his hand.  He was so quick about it that he didn’t even get blood on his hand, and he couldn’t help but think that the cracking sound was much less satisfying than he’d hoped.    
  
He sighed heavily in disappointment, both at his angry reaction and the fact that the man was chuckling in spite of the blood pouring down his face.  “It’s useless for you to be mad, ya know?  Doesn’t matter if you don’t like it.  I know my way of thinking is fine.  I got the lowest crime coefficient of any latent in this place— just 101.  This won’t stick and I’ll be back by tomorrow.”  He was giving Erra that disgusting leer again. “So don’t you worry, honey.  I’ll get to you soon enough.”  
  
Erra finally sneered back at the man, which Ginoza was relieved to witness.  She sardonically stated, “See, though, that’s where you’re wrong, _sweetheart_.  You might have been able to keep getting away with this, but you couldn’t have picked two worse people in the Bureau to publically harass.  Being in charge of Division One means the head of the entire MWPSB respects and trusts our calls on certain things.  With the amount of complaints I have on you, along with both lead inspectors witnessing your deplorable behavior, it won’t take much convincing.  Especially when you consider the Chief doesn’t really give two shits about what enforcers we have working with us.”   
  
The man scowled and spat more blood, before growling, “You set me up, you bitch!”  
  
Kami merely shrugged.  
  
“I’ll kill you for this!” he swore.  
  
Looking completely dispassionate, Kami turned to face the back wall, indicating she was clearly done speaking with the idiot.  Gino was surprised by his partner’s admission, but managed to add, “I hope you enjoy small spaces, because you’ll be spending the rest of your life in a rehab cubical.  Still think the look on her face was _worth it_?”  
  
As the robots led him away, Ginoza was seething.  He would have actually given anything for his father to have been in the room.  Masaoka would have been allowed much more leeway in how he chose to punish that scum, already being latent himself.  How did a man that spoke to people that way get into his crime division in the first place?    
  
He felt a hand grab his tensed arm, and he looked down to recognize the dark pink nail polish on the fingers gently squeezing at his skin.  Kamiya was trying to get his attention.  He looked down to her face and her expression told him it was time to calm down.  He didn’t want to calm down.  The most unwelcome image of that trash grabbing his partner and trying to force himself on her flashed through his mind.  He shook it hard to chase it away, but the rage he was feeling still bubbled just below the surface.  
  
“Gino,” she said loudly.  She gripped tighter around his arm, and when he focused on her again, those large teal pools of hers calmed him in spite of himself.  As he relaxed, she let go of his bicep and walked to get on a treadmill.  
  
Nobuchika took the one next to her and studied her actions for a moment before asking, “Did you know he would say that?”  
  
“Mm-mm,” she shook her head.  “I had a pretty good feeling he would do _something_ way out of line, however.  I’ve been getting complaints from several women in the building that he was making them very uncomfortable.  It’s not as if I’m offended by flirting or forward comments, you know that better than anyone.”    
  
He certainly did know that.  It was currently, both, the bane of his existence and the brightest spot of his days.   
  
She continued, “Other people _are_ , however, and this needs to be a place everyone feels comfortable and safe.  I told him to stop.  The other women told him to stop, but that one—he seemed to be getting more dangerous.  I thought he might soon start taking his harassment further to something physical.”  
  
She looked him in the eye but seemed as if she didn’t want to make her admission.  “The crime co-efficient alone isn’t always enough, ya know?  Our Human Resources Dept. said that his psycho-pass was still well within ‘safe’ ranges.  Sometimes these latents are able to hide real, terrifying darkness behind their numbers.”    
  
Ginoza swallowed hard.  She wasn’t talking about the Criminally Asymptomatic population.  No one but his team knew about Makashima and the like, but it was very difficult not to think about those sociopaths now.    
  
“I had to get him out of here, and relying on his hue by itself wouldn’t have been enough.  He seemed the type that would be dumb enough to publically say something disgusting.  I needed a witness.  It might not have been a fair method, but I know what guys are looking at when they see me.  Even you look, Inspector.”  
  
He cringed and looked guiltily to her teal eyes.  
  
“You were stretching that way to bait him?” he asked, sounding like he couldn’t believe her gall.  
  
“I said it wasn’t fair, didn’t I?  He needed to be removed and his crime co-efficient alone wasn’t going to be enough to do it,” she repeated, sounding like she was still uncomfortable with her choice.  “I needed him to be inappropriate safely, around witnesses.  What better witness than you, Shepherd One?”  
  
“ _Tch_ ,” he huffed.  “What if I hadn’t shown up?”  Kamiya gave him a look telling him that she knew perfectly well he would never miss an opportunity in the gym with her.  Caught again, he blushed.  “I agree he had to go, but don’t you think that was an awfully risky way to go about it?” Gino asked, as both of them sped up their walking machines.  
  
She gave him an admonishing look.  “Do you think I couldn’t have dropped him myself?”  
  
“That’s not it, at all.  I…“ he ran his hands through his jet black bangs.  “I’m sorry I stepped in, if that bothers you.  I lost my temper and got out of line,” he sighed.  “Just…no one’s going to speak to you that way, especially right in front of me.”  
  
He turned his head towards her and she was suppressing a grin by biting her lower lip.   _Damn it_!  Was there no look of hers that he didn’t find gorgeous?  “Partners have each other’s backs, remember?” he continued, thinking about the first time she asked him to wait for her outside Kaisei’s office.  
  
“I remember,” Kami answered.  “I won’t let any of the guys speak to you that way either, Gino.”    
  
He turned away and rolled his eyes.  “You can’t be serious with me for even a moment, can you?  Everything I say is a joke.”   
  
She didn’t give him an answer and the two of them continued their workouts in an awkward silence.  He imagined she must find him as big of a laugh as the rest of his team.  What was the point in trying to be polite or anything else?  Sighing again after a half hour of the torturous silence, he turned off his treadmill and stepped down.  Grabbing a swig of water and using a towel to wipe at his sweat, he noticed Kamiya had turned her machine off as well.  
  
Breathing heavily after the run, she put a hand on his forearm and said, “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to be rude.”  She actually looked concerned that he might be truly angry.  She continued, “I really do appreciate the way you support me on this force and treat me as your equal.  I respect the way you lead our team, and I’m grateful every day that you were the partner I was assigned.  You weren’t out of line trying to protect me, as far as I’m concerned.  Partners should have each other’s backs and I will always have yours.  I mean that…sir.”  
  
His face was shocked as she released his arm, and he thought he noticed pink in her cheeks other than being overheated from exertion.  His ears began to burn as she continued.   
  
“Sincerity of my own makes me exceedingly uncomfortable, Ginoza.  I don’t mean it as a slight towards you at all.  You make my defenses go up more than anyone else, I suppose.”  
  
“Wonderful,” he responded sarcastically.  
  
“No. I meant… _Tch_!”  She was becoming extremely flustered in a way that Gino had never seen from his partner, and it seemed only to further confirm that every look of this woman’s advanced his attraction.  “ _I meant_ , no one else makes me feel vulnerable like you, Gino—not in a very long time, at least…”    
  
Her face had gone from red to white and she looked like the admission was physically painful for her to make.  He tried very hard not to interrupt her, remaining still as if it would spoil her honesty.  
  
“Let me buy you that drink we talked about and make it up to you,” she requested.  
  
“I won’t,” he answered shortly.  Her mouth frowned deeply and her brow furrowed as she rapidly nodded, like she had anticipated rejection.  She tried to step away but he stopped her with his response, “I asked you first.  If we get a drink, it’s _my_ treat.  You can get the next one if you still insist.”  He felt relieved as her tensed face relaxed and gave him a weak smile.    
  
“Meet you upstairs once we shower?” Kami asked.  He smiled almost imperceptibly and nodded his agreement.  Inside, he was feeling a sense of excitement he’d rarely had as an adult.  
  
“And don’t call me ‘sir’ again.  It sounded ridiculous,” he ordered.  
  
“Nobuchika?”  
  
“Testing me…”  She knew.  Her expression made that perfectly obvious and he found himself smirking in response.  
  
As she made for the dressing room, it was like she couldn’t stand her own awkwardness at having been honest.  He shook his head and rolled his eyes again as she loudly taunted him, causing people in the gym to stop what they were doing and stare his direction.  “Try to keep your eyes off my ass if you can, Inspector.”  
  
“ _Tch_ ,” he huffed, turning away swiftly as her words had the complete opposite effect of her request.  
  
 ** _  
To Be Continued..._**


	17. Uninvited Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-author @jolibrix
> 
> Mina talks a bit about her past and her brother Kishio, while planning to say goodbye to Kougami.  
> Erra and Ginoza finally have those drinks, but Erra feels very conflicted about her missing husband.  
> Kougami wants to be closer to Mina and is jealous of the way she so easily confides in Tetsuo as opposed to him.
> 
> "This chapter contains lemon*
> 
> When you leave comments, it makes our hearts explode into happy little butterflies!

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Uninvited Thoughts  
  
  
** Tetsuo was drunk.  His pale skin was tinged pink with a forever blush, and Mina had to admit that it was pretty damned cute.  He was handsome, and it would take a blind person not to see it.  More than once that night, she had found herself ruffling that white-blond hair, making it hang over his eyes worse than it normally did. The fact that he was completely fine with the contact pleased her.  She had always been fond of physical contact back home, before those missing years.  It made her feel more at ease that someone in _this_ different world was non-threatening enough in her eyes to relax this way.    
  
Even though she was finally relaxed, the first few minutes of their time alone had been fettered with an unusual uncomfortable silence on her part.  In the short amount of time it had taken them to get from pool table to couch, Brolin managed to surface in her mind again.  His harshness clawed through the flimsy blanket of confidence and trust that had made her more inclined to trust Tetsuo's words.  It was easier to disbelieve rather than handle the possible destruction Seki could cause.  He had that kind of power, and she was fully cognizant of that.  Nakamura would never be over just how snowed she had been by Brolin.  He had been a master manipulator and come to her when she was at her most vulnerable emotionally.       
  
She wished that there was an off button for Brolin's voice in her head.  She could hear those original words of love, comfort, and general flattery that he had managed to woo her with, and they were always followed by the horrible things he said once he realized there was no way for her to escape.   
  
Luckily, Seki had picked up on her unease and fell into their usual banter.  
  
After their time in the bar and however long the pair had been sitting in the enforcer’s lounge, Nakamura was also drunk.  True, she was not as inebriated as the man in front of her, but she was tipsy enough to have lowered her guard with Tetsuo once again.   
  
She was trying to lighten the heaviness of the evening, at this point.  She didn’t want to leave the CID with Tetsuo and her on bad terms.  They were playing a card game that her brother had taught her where, when you lose the hand, you have to answer whatever question the winner asks.  
  
This had probably been her second worst idea since joining Division One.  Her mind wondered about calling Kou and asking him to join but rejected the idea.  Tetsuo could be waylaid with distraction if he asked questions about her past, but Kougami would be relentless in his quest for answers.  
  
Mina grimaced but quickly recovered before those amber eyes caught her looking sour.  For the moment, they were on a tangent about which inspectors were the most attractive, after the ex-surgeon brought up the question of which detective was the most unlikable.  
  
“Inspector Ginoza,” they both agreed in unison before shaking their heads, then Nakamura casually added, “Too bad he’s also one of the best looking out of the lot.”  
  
This led into their opinions of which female inspectors the two of them found the most attractive.  Tetsuo had mentioned that for him it was between Aoyonagi from Division Two and Kamiya in One.  Nakamura found herself actually arguing in Inspector Kamiya’s favor, as if beauty wasn’t completely subjective.  Her opinion did actually seem to sway the tipsy Tetsuo, especially after Mina mentioned the physical attribute no one at CID could resist commenting about.  
  
“Damn, you’re right.  Her ass is just so...” he stopped, looking at her as though he had said something she might find offensive.     
  
“You don’t have to tell me.  It's ludicrous, Tetsuo.  It should be illegal to have a butt like that.  She has, like, the whole package of hotness,” she said, making it clear that his words were okay.  Nakamura also made a gesture with her hands trying to trace in the air exactly what she meant.     
  
Tetsuo laughed heartily.  He was also blushing.  The enforcer guessed it was probably because women in this world didn’t generally seem to discuss such things.  
  
“At first, I felt intimidated by her.  She kind of seems to me like what men want and what women want to be.  I like her, though.  Is that weird?  Am I supposed to like inspectors as friends?  She is a really amazing woman.  My brother would have been all over her.”   Mina laughed softly, “—and he would have had her, too, the charismatic bastard.”  
  
“I didn't know you had a brother,” Tetsuo commented.  “Does he ever visit?  I'd like to meet him, if he’s half as funny as you.”     
  
“He's dead,” she said bluntly.  The horror on her drinking partner's face made her quickly add, “It was a long time ago, Tetsuo.  I’m alright.”    
  
She took a breath making sure that was true enough for now, then continued, “He was much more hilarious than me, though I’m loathe to admit that.  He would have liked you a great deal.”  Her tipsy hand brushed some white strands away from his eyes as she said, “He would have been all over you, too,” and Mina laughed loudly at the bright red she’d caused on his face.  She shoved his shoulder before saying, “—and he would have had you!”  
  
She couldn’t contain the laughter as Tetsuo stuttered, “W-what?  No, I’m not—“  
  
“You didn’t know my brother.  He really did have a way of getting _anything_ he wanted,” she laughed softly, lost in pleasant memory for a moment.  “He was genius on top of it all.  He was so damned stubborn.”      
  
“Ah.  So, hyper intelligence and frustrating tenacity is a family trait,” he said shooting a lopsided grin her way.     
  
Turning to blush, Mina hurried out, “Anyway, isn't it your turn?”   
  
The blond placed his card down, and she groaned at the result.  It was her turn to answer a question.  Thus far, he had stuck to some pretty basic stuff, but she knew how these games worked.  Soon, they would be learning _intimate_ things about each other.  It always went there, and now she had opened that door by taunting him about her brother.  
  
He swallowed visibly and scooted himself back, as if he were struggling to maintain himself.  “Are you and Kougami...” he seemed unable to find the words he was looking for.  He also appeared to be fighting to keep himself upright.  Mina found herself hoping he would pass out soon.  
  
“Are we what, Tet?  Colleagues, enforcers, friends...” she took a sip, eyes regarding the wobble of his head.  
  
“…together?”   
  
“We hook up sometimes, if that’s what you mean,” Mina responded honestly.     
  
“But you don't go out with other people?  I meant,” he looked annoyed with himself.  ”I meant, the two of you only sleep with each other and not others?”  Tetsuo was unable to meet her eyes.   
  
“I was under the impression that most enforcers were too nihilistic to do something like that.  We’ve never specified.  He might be sleeping with someone else.  He is very popular with the ladies, and it is _just_ sex.  I don’t think there’s a need to label it.”      
  
“You keep on saying stuff like that, and maybe you really haven’t noticed, but... it just seems like you guys stick with each other.”  He looked a little irritated.  
  
She shook her head and replied firmly, “I don't think Kougami does that kind of thing.  Why are you so curious anyway?”   
  
Just then, Kougami plopped himself on the break room sofa, right between the two friends.  “So curious about what?” he asked, half smoked cigarette dangling from his lip.  
  
The pair of drunken friends were both white as sheets.  “How much did you hear?” Mina tried to ask casually.  
  
“’I don’t think Kougami does that kind of thing.  Why are you so curious?’” he repeated.  
  
 _Oh thank the heavens!_ Mina thought.  
  
Before she had a chance to think of a response, Tetsuo had taken care of it for them.  
  
“She didn’t think you played card games like these,” he answered as he scooped up the full deck.  
  
Mina offered a weak smile.  Kougami returned it and kept his steel eyes locked with hers as he said, “She’s wrong.  I love a good game.”  
  
  
********  
  
Erra was having a surprisingly great time.  She respected her partner and certainly found him very attractive, but she wasn’t sure how his tense attitude would translate in a more personal setting.  It turned out that he was still fairly neurotic about “protocols,” but he seemed more relaxed with his wit.  Not concentrating solely on being the best inspector he could be, he was quicker to pick up on her jokes.  Kamiya thought it was delightful, though, to watch him get twitchy over her breaking any social “rules.”  His constant poutiness was one of the things she found sexiest about the man, so she tended to do whatever might get her that response.    
  
She also noticed that she was paying more attention than ever before to his appearance, as they sat chatting at the bar.  She was particularly fond of that stubborn piece of his hair on the crown of his head that utterly refused to lay in place like the rest.  The redhead had to concentrate _not_ to reach out to smooth her fingers over it repeatedly…or possibly ruffle it further out of place.  The prospects seemed equally appealing.  
  
Besides the physical attraction, Ginoza seemed genuinely interested in the things she had to say.  He didn’t nod absent-mindedly or look bored.  He listened when she spoke, and she realized that he had always been listening, when he remembered something Kami had said to him on her first day as his partner.  It was an experience she hadn’t had since the loss of her husband.    
  
She had attempted to date since Ren, but found quickly that it wasn’t for her.  Men seemed only interested in her for one reason…she was beautiful.  Erra knew she was considered attractive; she’d been told as much many times throughout her life.  Unfortunately, it seemed only to attract the type of men that wanted nothing more than to quickly get her into bed.  They were so focused on their end goal, oblivious to everything else, she had never even allowed one of those dates to take her home.  
  
This wasn’t an official date, but Kamiya found herself wishing it had been more than once that evening.  They had already been sitting at the bar chatting for so long that both of them had grown hungry.  Ginoza bought her first drink, and then she returned the gesture, just as she said she would.  More than an hour later, he motioned they move to a newly open booth and order some dinner while they were there.  Erra tried not to admit it to herself, but she was glad that he hadn’t just excused himself to go home for dinner.  
  
“So, you were a dancer?” he asked her as she sat across from him, bringing up a conversation they’d had months ago, and watching her sip from her glass.  
  
She paused, surprised by his memory, then nodded, saying, “I actually participated on my school’s competition team.”  
  
He took his own sip and said, “Dancer, therapist, inspector…You’re a very interesting person, Erra Kamiya.”  
  
She loved the way he said her full name.  It rolled smoothly and softly off his tongue.  “I could say the say about you, Inspector.”  
  
“I doubt that very—,“ but Kami would hear no more.  
  
“You’re not fooling me, Gino.  Promoted to lead Division One faster than any member in CID history, expert marksman.  You bear the burden of your entire team and still keep your hue in an acceptable range, by somehow maintaining distance between yourself and your subordinates.  I wouldn’t be able to do it considering the past you share with…” he looked up at her dangerously for a moment, daring her to say the names aloud.  She instantly decided that a crowded bar was not the place.  “…with some of them.  It works for you somehow and I think it’s amazing.  There are many other things I find interesting about you, but I think I’ll keep those to myself for now.”  
  
Both of them reddened lightly as a server came to take their orders.  Once they were alone again, they looked around nervously for a bit, before Nobuchika decided to break the silence.  “A dancer _and_ a singer?” he questioned.  
  
“What?” she asked, before remembering how he had found her the last time in this very bar.  She blushed her embarrassment and said, “No!  No.  That wasn’t singing.  I was just humming…not paying attention, ya know?  Definitely not my forte.”  
  
Her partner shrugged.  “I liked it,” he responded boldly.  “It was—unique.”  
  
Kami blinked a few times, thrown off-guard by his flattery.  “That surprises me.  In all this time we’ve worked together, I’ve observed that you don’t usually respond to ‘unique’ things that fall outside the labels you put on people.”  
  
“Who said that wasn’t the label I put on you from the start?” he asked sincerely.  
  
Erra immediately caught fire, and the fact that his face was as serious as if he had said some benign fact like, “the sky is blue,” sent a blush from the very top of her head downwards.  
  
“D—did you do that on purpose, Ginoza?” she asked, not sure she’d ever return to a normal shade.  
  
“Do what?”  The oblivious look on his face was enough to tell her he wasn’t putting any effort into being charming, and her stomach tangled into thick knots.  
  
“The flattery.  Are you trying to flatter me, Inspector?”  
  
“Kamiya, you’ve studied every member of our team.  Surely you know that I consider idle flattery a waste.  It wasn’t meant as such; forgive me if I’ve offended you.  Reading people isn’t one of my strong suits.  I'm sure I've embarrassed myself," he said, turning his head for a moment, that perfect pout on his features.    
  
She should have told him that it had been the very opposite of embarrassing on his part, but she couldn’t seem to form words at that moment.  
  
Looking back at her, meeting her teal eyes with his jade, he added, "You said earlier that you were grateful that I had been assigned your partner.  I feel the same.  We may argue and I think maybe you enjoy taunting me too much, but you always show respect for the work I do--we do.  I was beginning to think I was cursed with partners who couldn't work with me...ones that found me foolish, irritating, useless…outdated.”   
  
He looked deeply troubled for a brief moment, probably lost to thoughts of Kougami and Inspector Tsunemori.  Glancing back up at her, he finished by saying, "I only wanted you to know that I find you to be a completely unique individual in my experiences, Inspector Kamiya.”  
  
“Wow,” the redhead couldn’t help but say aloud.  “I…How can I…?  You really…,“ she was completely flustered over the way he had just unintentionally melted her.  She knew he wasn’t good at reading people, which meant that he had just offered her one of the most sincere compliments she was ever likely to receive.  She would have liked to compliment him back, but her mouth and brain seemed unable to cooperate.    
  
“I don’t…,“ she couldn’t finish that she didn’t know how to respond. Erra’s head was too busy swimming with a sudden desire she thought she would never feel again. It was impossible in that second to keep denying to herself that she wanted him.  There was no ignoring the butterflies in her stomach or the feelings of lust that muddled her synapses.  Erra was suddenly desperate to feel his long elegant fingers on her skin, to see the same desire in his eyes, and to feel the warmth of his body close to hers.     
  
Suddenly, she stood.  “Please excuse me, Ginoza.  I think I need to step outside a moment.  I’m feeling very warm in here.”  She didn’t take the time to actually look at the detective’s befuddled expression as she quickly pushed through the crowd to stand outside in the long hallway, seeking quiet to clear away thoughts she probably shouldn’t be having for her partner…thoughts she wasn’t sure she was ready to have.  
  
  
********  
  
“Kami!” he called down the long, mall-style hallway.  
  
She turned to look at him and frowned.  It seemed she didn’t want him to come after her.  Still, she didn’t move from the spot she was standing, so he walked down to stand in front of her.  She seemed to be breathing quicker than usual, and the look on her face was one of conflict and anxiety.  
  
“Was I out of line?  I’m not sure I know what I’ve done to offend you.  I apologize if that was rude of me,” he said, hoping it didn’t sound like he was an idiot.  He thought things had actually been going rather well.  She seemed to enjoy his company as much as he liked hers, and he had even been prepared to ask her on an actual date, but it seemed he had read the situation completely wrong.  
  
“That’s not it at all,” she admitted.  “I liked what you said, Ginoza.  I don’t think anyone has ever made me feel that impressive in my life.”  Her arms crossed across her stomach and those teal eyes looked down at the floor, looking for, perhaps the first time ever, shy.  It was so disparate from her everyday countenance Ginoza had to think a moment before responding as truthfully as possible.  
  
“Then no one has ever told you the truth about yourself,” he added, still unsure how being honest with her was causing such trouble.  
  
“See? That! How do you not hear how out of control sexy that sounds?” The bright paint on her nails swiped erratically across his vision as her arms leaped into a gesture of emphasis.     
  
Ginoza was completely taken aback, he could feel a furiously deep crimson taking over his features. He muttered, “I am certain I’ve never been accused of that before now.” _Sexy?_ He questioned the word choice, more than a little confused.     
  
“Then no one has ever told you the truth about yourself, either!”      
  
A pang of sadness had his mouth turning down into a pout.  In his mind, there was no way she could mean what she just said.  She must be teasing him.    
  
“Kami,” he started softly, “I know you like these games of yours, but don’t taunt me about this, please. You making a joke out of me...anyone else, I can handle—but not you.”  
  
“How did you become so self-conscious?” the redhead huffed as she started storming towards the elevator.  Ginoza was still terribly confused and took a few steps to follow, before she turned around to scold him.  “I do like to tease you.  You’re right about that—but don’t think for a _second_ that I think you’re a joke!  Have you heard nothing I’ve said today?  I’m trying, Inspector.  I really am, but I don’t know if I can deal with your hang-ups as well as my own!”  
  
She turned and continued until she was jamming the down button for the elevator.  
  
“Hold on,” he said as he approached.  “Hold on a minute!” he demanded.  “Trying what, exactly?  What are we even talking about now?”  
  
Already, he was picking his words and behavior apart, obsessing over what he might have done wrong and hoping to fix it.  How long had it been since he had been this close to another person?   _Of course I’ve messed it up!_ He thought to himself.   
  
She rolled her eyes and huffed at him again, “You don’t know?  Seriously?  So you’re saying you’re _not_ interested in me, Nobuchika?  You didn’t come to the bar _specifically_ to look for me that time?  You didn’t ask me for drinks because you’re attracted to me?”  
  
He looked shocked for a minute before responding quietly, “I didn’t say that.  I—yes.  That’s all true.  I am interested in seeing you more often…and not just as co-workers, Erra.”  
  
She was blushing, but she looked especially conflicted.  “I’m interested in you, too—especially since that night.  I haven’t really been able to stop thinking about the way you were so patient with me...”  
  
“Then why are we even having this argument?”  Ginoza was beyond flustered at this point.  Why be angry at him if she was interested in him as well?  
  
“Because I don’t want to be!” she shouted.    
  
He tried not to show how much those few words had stung.  
  
She continued, “I don’t need to be attracted to you!  Playing at flirting is one thing, but the way you treat me…the things you say to me, Gino—how am I supposed to pretend it doesn’t make me feel anything?”  
  
“Why would you pretend?” he asked, unable to conceal his frustration.  She didn’t look up.  “Kami, why would you want to feel nothing for me?”  He worried momentarily that it was because she simply found him too awkward and embarrassing, but something told him that wasn’t it.  Boldly, he placed two fingers under her chin and tilted her face towards him.  Her eyes were squeezed shut, but a few thick tears were dripping down her cheeks.  “Hey, what have I done wrong, Kami?”  
  
The full teal eyes opened and looked at him pleadingly, begging him not to make her answer the question, and for once, Ginoza read the situation just fine.   
  
“Your husband,” he commented quietly.  Pushing the button for the elevator again, he added, “You don’t want to be interested in me— in anyone, because you feel guilty.”  Tears dripped slowly down her face as she remained silent.    
  
When the elevator door opened, he led her inside by the now-familiar small of her back to get her away from any prying eyes on the very public leisure floor.  He pressed the button for the floor housing Division One and they rode down in silence. He tried not to take it personally, but he felt as useless a partner as always.  
  
  
********  
  
Kougami had lied.  He’d been shamefully eavesdropping on the pair of inebriated flirts for quite some time now.  He’d heard quite a bit more than he would ever let on to either of them.  He had stopped at the doorway to the break room when he overheard them talking about Inspector Kamiya’s ass.  He had every intention of joining the conversation, but her admission that she had a brother and that he was dead took him completely by surprise.    
  
Something he normally would have been able to tell about a person by this point without asking, and he had no idea.  In fact, he would have guessed she was an only child. What was more, she was sharing the information willingly and easily with the nurse lead…like it was no big deal to be honest with the man. Her expression and body language changed rapidly, but Shinya could easily infer that she was still very upset over the loss of her brother.  
  
Shinya was about to back up and leave them be, but the conversation only became more and more interesting.  With the two of them drunk and immersed in their questions, it was easy to for him to lean in the doorway unnoticed, until he just had to interrupt.  Hearing himself interjected into their conversation was much too enticing an entry.  
  
Kou knew _exactly_ why Tetsuo was so curious about his relationship with Nakamura and he wasn’t about to give the man the chance to answer.  Normally, something like that wouldn’t have bothered him, but the competitive side in the enforcer didn’t feel like sharing Mina in that way…certainly not with someone like Seki.  She obviously felt more comfortable around the blond than she did with him and it irritated him more than he expected.  He enjoyed the time he spent with the girl, it kept him from constantly thinking about how he had corrupted and lost Akane, and he didn’t feel like losing her attention.  
  
Thankfully, he was confident that he knew how to pull her back in.  Ignoring Tetsuo almost completely, he leaned closer into her space to lay fingers on her body. Kou traced small circles around the compass tattoo that was etched onto the olive skin of Mina’s wrist, asking, “What kind of game do you feel like playing tonight, Mina?”  He smiled as her crystal eyes widened and he heard Seki choke a little on his drink.  
  
“Uh…” the nurse stuttered out, “I—I think I’ll excuse myself.” As he stood, Kou spared him a quick glance and nodded.  
  
“What?” asked Mina.  “Why?  You don’t have to go. The three of us never hang out together.”  
  
Shinya was surprised that Mina couldn’t sense the immediate chilly change to the atmosphere of the room. Seki’s amber eyes flicked to Kougami who made sure to continue looking bored as he lit a cigarette.  “Sure,” the enforcer responded.  “I can go if you two want to keep playing.”  
  
The nurse narrowed his eyes briefly, aware of his competition, before adding, “No, thank you.  You stay.  I’m tired anyway.”  He looked right into Kou’s steely eyes as he placed a kiss on the brunette’s cheek near her mouth.  “See you later, Chibi-chan.”  
  
Shinya narrowed his own eyebrows as Mina smiled brightly and added, “You know it, Tet,” while patting his face and ruffling his white-blond hair.  
  
As the head nurse rounded out of sight, Nakamura stared into her now empty glass.  Kou leaned over and whispered against her ear, “I lied.  I heard all of it.”  
  
Mina’s crystal blue orbs looked immensely guilty as she stared at him.  “It’s fine.  I know you want to fuck him and that’s fine.”  
  
“What the hell, Kou?” she questioned, eyes flashing with anger.  “Don’t be an asshole!”  
  
“Why shouldn’t you? I mean, these hookups of ours are just stress relief, so if you like that guy just say the word and we’ll stop this thing.”  He studied her looking for signs of her attachment toward him.  It was pleasant to discover that when he mentioned stopping their trysts, all signs, however brief they were, pointed to panic.  Outrage eventually settled into the set of her shoulders, though.    
  
“Is that seriously why you came in here?  You just felt like being a dick?”  He could see she was getting angry and he childishly found it satisfying and enormously sexy.  
  
“No,” he said as he looked at her seductively.  “I came in here because I heard you talking about sex, and I saw the way he was on you in the bar.  Don’t think I don’t know what you were picturing, Min.”  
  
Kou did his best to come off as flippant, as though the thought of how Tetsuo had been practically mouthing the nape of her neck did not make him angry...did not make him want to kiss, suck, and bite at that sensitive skin enough to leave a mark, something that would ward off the other man's behavior, or at the very least indicate that someone had been there under much more intimate circumstances.  
  
She began blushing and looking highly uncomfortable. It was clear by her tone of voice that he’d struck a nerve.  “Shut up, idiot!” she ordered. “If you’re just in here to start shit and throw around accusations, I saw you in the bar, too. Why don’t you go fuck your sexy little blonde friend?”  
  
He had no intention of stopping.  When Mariko had been jealous in the bar, he’d found it terribly off-putting, but knowing he had caused Mina to feel that same possessiveness _he’d_ been feeling earlier, caused a certain heat to pool in the base of his stomach.  “Are you jealous of that?”  
  
Her eyes were wide now and she shook her head. “No! You can do whoever the hell you want!”  
  
He gave her a lopsided grin and pulled her into his lap, straddling him.  “I’m not, you know?”  
  
She puzzled, still wearing a deep frown, “Not what?”  
  
He bucked his groin into hers slightly, letting her know what he wanted.  “Not sleeping with anyone else.”  She pulled away a bit until he added, “You’ve made it impossibly difficult to think about satisfying any other women.”  
  
At that, she chuckled softly and stood to remove their pants right there in the break room.  His body felt the familiar intense desire as she breathed against his ear, “Then satisfy me now.”  
  
He pulled her down onto him and began rocking her up and down until she was clutching at his shirt and moaning against his broad neck.  
  
“Min, are you afraid of me?” he questioned through ragged breath.  
  
She looked surprised that he would ask _that_ in the middle of _this_.  “I—No, Shinya.  I’m not afraid of you.”  
  
“Then why won’t you talk to me like you do with Seki?  Why is _this_ the only way I can get your attention?”  
  
She paused her movements and Kou struggled not to keep thrusting.  He needed to know if he was really so offensive to her.  
  
“It’s not that I’m afraid of you.  I’m afraid of—,“ she stopped herself from continuing, still not willing to tell him and it drove him mad.    
  
One thing he had always liked about Mina the past several months he’d been getting to know her, was that he could always tell what she was feeling, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.  The very plain look of hurt and fear she was wearing told him that this went much deeper than just being about him. Feeling better about the fact that he wasn’t the root cause of her anxieties, he decided not to press any further just now.    
  
Continuing their previous rhythm, Kou helped Mina roll her hips by gripping tightly at her ass, eliciting a moan from the pair of them. Changing the topic to something more suitable, he asked, “You know what I was thinking about the whole time I was watching you at that pool table? I was thinking I wanted to bend you over right there on the felt and take you hard from behind.”   
  
The admission caused the sweet gasp that he’d been longing for to fly from her full, pink lips.  
  
He was beginning to struggle with cohesive thought. “Would you let me do that, Mina? Would you trust me enough to let me fuck you from behind?”  He couldn’t stop the question.  He had never wanted anything more than that sensation.  
  
She studied him for several excruciating moments before answering, “I would.”  He grinned and she grinned mischievously back, responding, “But not today,” as she shoved him back against the couch from his seated position and began riding faster and harder than before.    
  
Kou felt a strange sense of accomplishment as the woman above him rode him until they both fell apart with him buried deep inside her right there in the middle of the break room where _anyone_ could have walked in on them.  
  
He had already managed to find and don his missing garments, as well as light a cigarette, before she even made it off of the couch to clumsily search for her shorts and underwear.  Kou liked it when he made her like this, boneless and a little out of it.  It made him feel a sense of achievement, and it also made her seem a bit vulnerable.  When a sound came from down the hallway, signaling what might be possible visitors to the breakroom, he scrambled to where he had known the missing articles were all along and helped her dress as quickly as possible.      
  
He requested she come with him to his apartment, and for once, she surprisingly agreed.  They retired to the room, exhausted and satisfied.  As they settled into the bed, he watched as she tossed, turned, and practically gave herself whiplash in the process of getting comfortable.  Kou knew how this would end.     
  
After she had started staying the night, he had discovered that Mina wiggled... a lot.  It didn't annoy him, but it was certainly fascinating, because she always wound up in the same position.  Sometimes, she found her way there consciously.  Other times, she would fall asleep, and within minutes drift over to his side of the bed and curl around him in one way or the other.     
  
All of that movement, and the woman always wound up plastered to his chest or back, and one time his arm.  When he had questioned her about it, she had pouted and said that she was cold and he was warm... so it was only natural.  Then she looked irritated and told him not to read too much into something that just made sense.     
  
Maybe it did.  The times Kougami had found her sleeping alone, she had been under layers of blankets, looking like she was huddled in a nest.  She was certainly someone very fond of the heat.  Shinya thought that part of it was probably his body heat, but he liked to think that maybe another part was that she found comfort sleeping with his arm around her or her face nestled into the back of his neck.     
  
This time was no different.  She might as well have been sleeping on top him by the time she relaxed and quit moving.  When Shinya was sure that she was done, he held her close and traced lazy patterns across her shoulder.    
  
After a couple of minutes of silence, Kougami decided that it was time to dig a little about some of the things he had overheard.  Before he even started asking his questions, he made sure his arms were settled into a tighter and much more secure grip.  Instinct told the man that she would try to create distance, which was something he didn't want.     
  
“Mina?”     
  
“Hm?”  The pads of her fingers lightly grazed his hip.     
  
Words were carefully chosen before he asked, “Do you really think your brother could've made Tetsuo go for him?”  He felt like this amusing sort of image made his questioning seem less invasive.  Shinya had very much enjoyed the look on Seki’s face after Mina had made the assertion.  It must have felt like a blow after the progress he seemed to have made with her at the pool table.    
  
She tried to raise up.  Just in case it was to move away, he promptly pulled her back down to his chest.    
  
“Umph...” flew from her mouth, but there was no indication that she was going to struggle out of his hold.  She giggled a little before saying, “Well... maybe not, but it certainly   
wouldn’t have been the first time I’d seen my brother cause serious doubts for heterosexual men.  The man definitely appreciated beauty in any form.  He would have been like a kid in a candy store here.  If he were here, I'd have to brand you and beat him off of you with a stick.  Erra wouldn't stand a chance either.”       
  
Kou laughed a little.  “Brand me...” he muttered, before saying, “you make him sound very charming.  Were you two close?”   
  
“Very.”  Mina wiggled, and his arms clenched in response.  “Kou, let me...” she grunted with the effort of trying to break free.  “Let me reposition, damn it!”        
  
“But I want you to stay right here...so...” he was laughing at her effort and the look of consternation she flung his way.     
  
“I _will_ stay here, I just wanna look at you while we talk.  Right now, I am talking to your chest,” she growled against his skin and bit at it.     
  
When he was done chuckling he said, “Fine.”   
  
Kougami loosened his arms but kept his hold, and Mina true to her word, did not move away.  Rather, she straddled him and situated herself to where she could lay limply on top of him with hands folded underneath her chin, face turned up at him.      
  
“Tell me about him.  I am curious about what other Nakamuras are like.”  He tugged her hair gently.  “Also a little scared... more than one is just-”     
  
“Hush.”  She leaned against his palm, a bit like a cat asking to be pet.  “Actually, you and Kishio are sort of similar in some ways.”   
  
“How so?”     
  
“Both ridiculously curious, brash, sure of your damned self, and too damned intelligent for your own good.  Just like you, Kishio was kind, as well.  He may have been a bit of an ass, and you certainly didn't want to mess with him or his family... but he had a huge heart and legitimately cared for people.”     
  
“Sounds like you miss him.” Shinya thought her eyes were especially bright at that moment.  He wanted her to keep talking.  He also tried not to puff up too much over the compliment she just gave him.  “Was he as frustratingly contrary as you?”     
  
Another playful bite to his hand was avoided with quick reflexes.     
  
“He was worse than I ever thought about being.  That was why he was always the one my parents or friends sent out to find me when I 'ran away'.  Kishio could always find me and always knew what was wrong.  I couldn't hide a damned thing from him.”     
  
She continued talking, and Kou found himself running hands along her body.  It wasn't sexual, it was just necessary.  It seemed like he might somehow be able to feel some of the happiness she was projecting through his fingertips.    
  
She told him stories about her brother, and even the ones in which she was angry or upset at her sibling, her words and body language sung out that Mina had adored and greatly missed Kishio.  He learned that part of their childhood relationship involved him doing something reckless, and his sister coming to find him and bail him out of trouble in some way.  For instance, he had once tried to make a still to sell bootleg alcohol and had ended up burning down a small building.  Fortunately, no one had been using it.  
  
The stories of them as adults were different.  Though he didn’t exactly know from what, Kishio had protected his sister.  She did not have to explicitly say it for him to figure it out.  Mina, for her part, had implicitly trusted her brother.  It was an odd thing to think, in Kou's mind, because now it seemed that she did not even come close to trusting someone that much.     
  
Finally, she yawned and gave in to the need to sleep.  He moved her into a spooning position and listened to her breathing start to even out.  Before she was completely out of it, she said something that seemed oddly sentimental.    
  
“Kougami, thank you for everything.  I want you to know that I could never forget you.”  He decided to dissect her words in the morning.     
  
As he finally began drifting off to sleep, he chewed over his own contentment in the moment.  He had been trying, however hard it was at times, to honor Akane’s request to enjoy the simple things in life that she wouldn’t get to experience. Solving puzzles had always been a favorite pastime of his, as well as sparring/wrestling and relieving aggression with a beautiful capable woman. What wasn’t to love? Getting to know Nakamura had certainly been the fun that had been missing from his life the last six years and he wanted to enjoy every single second of the experience. He was glad to have found someone that could reign in his need to obsess.  He was also glad that they were finally getting closer.  
  
  
 ** _To Be Continued..._**


	18. Leaving Unannounced

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Co-authored by jolibrix 
> 
> *Ginoza and Erra try to move their relationship forward, despite her misgivings over Ren's disappearance.  
> *Mina has a dangerous proposition and the only one that can help her is Inspector Kamiya, but will she be able to ignore protocol and her partner's possible wrath?
> 
>  
> 
> **When you leave comments, it makes our hearts explode into happy little butterflies!**

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Leaving Unannounced  
  
  
** It had been quite some time since the hyper-focused inspector had kissed anyone at all, and Ginoza was certain that he’d never desired to kiss a woman more than the one currently standing with him in that elevator.  He felt a desperate longing to wipe away his partner’s tears with both his fingers _and_ his lips.  He even vividly imagined the taste of their salt.  Instead, ashamed of his thoughts, he pulled out his pocket square and handed it over to the distressed redhead.  She dabbed at her eyes and dried her cheeks before offering it back to him.    
  
“Hold on to it for now,” he supplied, as the elevator doors opened to the floor with HQ.  He gestured for her to exit first and then down the hall to Division One’s offices.  
  
Entering the familiar workspace, Ginoza flipped on the lights as he watched Erra plunk herself down in Masaoka’s thickly padded chair.  He took his own chair from his terminal and rolled it over in front of her.  
  
She smiled weakly and said, “Did you know he somehow managed to find the most comfortable chair in the building?”  
  
He smirked as he responded, “Why does that not surprise me?”  
  
The forlorn woman curled her long legs into his father’s chair and her full, teal eyes stared into his jade ones.  He felt the two of them were silently studying one another, waiting to see who would break the quiet first.  It turned out to be his partner.  “I’m sorry you continue to be at the receiving end of this, Gino,” she said while pointing to her teary eyes.  “I don’t usually find myself so unable to control my emotions.  It’s terribly inappropriate of me.”  
  
Nobuchika shook his head and was about to respond when she continued.  “It seems your terrible partner curse is still in full swing.”  
  
“If you have anything to apologize for, it’s that comment right there,” he said.  He couldn’t hide his annoyance.  “That’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said to me, Kamiya.  Don’t say it again.”  
  
She looked like she wanted to argue, but instead she closed her mouth, put her chin to her knee and nodded slightly.  
  
 _I'm the curse. Not you_ , he thought to himself, bitterly letting the faces of his father, Kou, and Akane flit through his mind…among others on his teams that they had lost.   
  
It may not have been his _fault_ that the relationship between him and his partner had become something closer than that between colleagues.  That did nothing, however, to shift his thinking away from the idea that he should have somehow better controlled his attraction before it even got this far.  It had never been difficult for him before, after all.  It wasn't fair to her.    
  
“Kami, it was never my intention to cause you this kind of confusion, or to make you question yourself this way. I’ll certainly try to do a better job of keeping a professional distance between us.”   
  
She nodded, but that gesture did not seem to agree with her countenance.  Her bottom lip trembled and tears welled in her eyes.  When she looked away, he was able to gain his bearings and speak.   
  
“If you’ll forgive me, I think it’s best for both of us if I head home for the evening. Tomorrow we can just start again, and there will be nothing for you to worry about.”    
  
Saying those words hurt him more than it should.  A very selfish voice in his head berated him for backing down and reminded Ginoza of just how significant what he had with Erra was.  The voice was knocked back, though, at the thought of ruining another human being and clouding their hue.  No matter how anyone looked at it, _he_ was the common denominator... the problem.  The amount of distress she had shown in this one evening had him worried.  It did not matter that he wanted nothing more than to stay and sit across from her and simply try to make her feel better.         
  
Standing and turning to grab his things, there was an unmistakable tug at the back of his shirt. He stopped his motion and sighed heavily. “Why are you stopping me?”  She was so damned confusing.     
  
“I don’t know,” she said softly.  Ginoza’s spine stiffened as her forehead leaned against his back, next to where her hand gripped the fabric.   
  
“I don’t understand what you want from me, Kami,” he responded just as quietly, slumping slightly where he stood.   
  
“I don’t understand what I want from you either. Isn’t that okay? I don’t want to be pushed into deciding something I’m not certain of, yet. The only thing I know is that I’m afraid.” She took a shaky breath, as he turned again to face her. “I’m afraid of what it will mean if you leave me here alone this way. I don’t want to start over…not with you, Gino.”   
  
Finally, realizing that he couldn't leave any more than she could let him, he took her slender hand that still clutched the fabric of his shirt, brought it around to his front, and gave it a gentle squeeze.  He didn't want to start over either.    
  
 _Absolutely stunning_ , he thought, admiring the way her eyes seemed desperate to hold him by her side even a little longer.   
  
“Nobody is pushing you for anything, and if they are, I’ll put them in their place. It’s only right that you grieve your husband. Making you feel that you are betraying him in some way is something I want no part of, Kami.” Pausing to sit across from her once more, Ginoza thought of something for the first time. “’Kamiya.’ That was his name?”   
  
“Mm-hm,” she nodded without lifting her eyes. “Ren. His name was Ren Kamiya.”   
  
He wanted to know more, but besides that, he genuinely felt that it would be good for her to feel comfortable enough to share with him. He pointed to the simple band on her index finger. “Was this his?”     
  
Sympathy flooded him.  There was no way for her to escape thinking of her late husband.  She carried his name, and while Erra seemed to think of it as a good thing, he wondered if that made it harder to find closure and let go— although, he couldn’t really imagine her with another name.     
  
“It’s mine.  They never found his ring,” she said sadly, making him wince with regret over asking.  “My friends laughed over its plainness, but it seemed perfect to me.  Ren had very simple tastes, and I only wanted to marry him.  The style of the ring hadn’t mattered to me.”  She smiled faintly and twisted it with her thumb, the way she always did.  “Sybil matched us, of course, but he loved me on his own.  We didn’t need the system to tell us we’d be happy.”  
  
Gino was embarrassed at intruding on such personal memories, as well as being embarrassed that he had spent so much time pretending this wasn’t a part of his partner’s past.  The two of them continued sitting quietly for quite some time, while Ginoza contemplated the fact that without Ren Kamiya, this wasn’t the Erra that would be in front of him now.  This man that made him feel such jealousy was responsible for helping to shape his partner into the woman she’d become, and he wanted to know more.  
  
“Kami,” he began, “I’m sure a person like you has many friends to talk with about this sort of thing, but I want you to know that I’d be happy to listen, if you need an ear.”  She looked up at him finally, a wistful smile on her lips.  “You may have many friends, but I’m sure it’s no surprise that I do not.  If you want me to be your friend, as well as your partner…” he took a breath, suddenly nervous of rejection, “…then you have my undivided attention.”  
  
She lifted her head and moved forward in her seat.  She still looked gloomy, but smiled as she grabbed his hand and squeezed.  “Thank you, Gino.”  She squeezed once more and offered a more sincere smile as she continued.  “Thank you.  I really needed to hear that.  And I don’t have friends I talk to about Ren.  They wouldn’t understand why it still bothers me so much.  None of them.”  
  
Nobuchika was sad to hear that, but part of him was elated that she accepted him as a friend.  It had been ages since someone had thought of him in that way and vice versa.  Maybe that was why he clung to every scrap of reassurance she sent his way concerning the subject.  “Want to tell me about him?”  
  
She did.  It seemed this was an invitation she’d been dying to receive for quite some time.  He listened intently and enjoyed each memory that lit her features with happiness.  Neither of them realized they had been sitting there talking for hours, until a cleaning drone came through the office.  It was late and Kamiya mentioned that she should begin her long drive home.  Gino agreed and stood to help her from the chair.  They chatted more about work as they made their way from the office to the elevator to their cars in the parking garage.  
  
The silence in the elevator was comfortable, significant in that he felt as though a consensus had been reached between the two of them.  So, any further need to ask questions and weed through veiled comments concerning their mutual attraction and friendship would only be redundant.   
  
It felt good.  It felt like a start.     
  
When they had had just two more floors to go before reaching the garage, Ginoza fixated on the band around her finger, thinking of all the times he had seen her fidget with it.  The ring now held all the points of their conversation as well as a level of symbolism that made it seem shinier, bigger, and somehow even more a part of her than before.  His preoccupation was interrupted when the sound of Erra's giggles filled the small enclosure.     
  
A smirk was unavoidable when she looked up at him.     
  
“How the hell did your father find that damned chair?”  That definitely wasn’t even close to what he imagined she might be laughing about, but it was followed by more of her heartfelt giggles.  “I haven't seen a single chair like it anywhere in the building.  Did he smuggle it inside?  I would _almost_ be willing to believe he somehow snatched it right from under the chief’s nose.”   
  
All Gino could do was shake his head, unsure of why that was suddenly so funny to her, but happy to see her joy.     
  
Her chuckles had subsided by the time they reached her parking space, and she grew almost eerily quiet.  As he held open her car door and assisted her inside, Erra paused and stared at him, looking as if there was some great struggle happening behind her teal orbs.  And just like that the mood shifted.  All her mannerisms had him on edge about what she might possibly say.  The way she nervously swallowed, bit her lip, and finally reached out to grab his wrist as though afraid he might abruptly disappear made his breath stutter.     
  
“What is it, Kami?” he asked.  The skin in contact with his wrist was slightly moist.  It took him a second to realize that her hands had become clammy, and that her laughter in the elevator was just a way to distract herself from whatever it was that was causing this. He took a step closer, hoping that Erra would recognize that it meant he wasn't going to walk away, a sign of encouragement.     
  
_What has her so damned nervous?_   
  
She took a deep shaky breath before beginning, “There’s something else I want to tell you about Ren—about his disappearance.”   
  
“Okay.  You can tell me anyth.....”   
  
“But _not now_ and not _here_ either!” The panicked way she said the last sentence set him slightly on edge.  
  
Seeing his confusion, she continued, “It’s really important, and you’re the _only_ person I trust to tell me if I should be concerned or if I’m just overreacting.”  
  
“That may not be wise,” he began.  “Even I know I tend to lean towards overreacting as default.”  
  
She shook her head fiercely, which loosed strands of red to frame her face.  Her expression was determined as she responded, “You do.  I know…but you’re the _only one_ I know will be honest with me about this, Gino.  I know you won’t be dismissive of my concerns, but that you won’t just give me an answer to placate me.  I know I can trust you, can’t I, Inspector?”  
  
Nobuchika’s heart was racing rapidly at her words.  He wondered what could be so mysterious that she couldn’t tell him now.  He wanted immediate answers as to why this needed to be secret.  Besides those things, he wondered how he had somehow managed gaining her trust this way.  He didn’t even trust himself at times, and for his partner to put so much faith in him…he felt almost overwhelmed.    
  
As she took her seat in the car, he replied, “Yes, Kami.  You can trust me.  You’re right to assume I’ll never be dismissive of what you have to say.”  She flashed him a dazzling grin, and they wished each other good night.  
  
As he stood watching her pull away, Ginoza felt a strange mix of almost idealistic accomplishment and a deep, foreboding dread.  
  
He hoped whatever it was she needed to tell him wasn’t something that would endanger her or their team.  
  
  
********  
  
It was morning, and Erra felt that she had barely slept a wink, which wasn’t far from the truth.  She had tossed and turned, trying to come up with how to tell Ginoza about her husband’s mysterious disappearance.  She wasn’t sure how to tell him she thought it had something to do with the organization he had placed his trust in his entire life.  
  
When she first started working with Division One all those months ago, she never would have imagined a point where she was considering speaking to Inspector Ginoza _against_ the Sybil System.  Of all people, he had certainly seemed the least likely.  Initially, she hadn’t even been opposed to taking his job, if that meant getting closer to the truth about Ren.  The chief liked the job she did, and she knew Ginoza was already on Kaisei’s bad side.  The idea that he might be chucked out and the whole of Division One replaced, if her partner further irritated their boss, was unacceptable.  She had to get to the top.  She _had_ to find the answers, and now not just for Ren’s sake.  
  
For Ginoza to have been able to completely endear himself to her, a man so very opposite her broad, jovial husband; it was so far outside of anything she expected that she wasn’t sure what to do anymore.  She wasn’t sure why she had even brought up the mystery to him in the first place, but he _did_ have a way of making her feel secure.  
  
Her hands trembled a little and her stomach somersaulted at that thought, while she swiped her ID badge to enter the CID building that morning. He really was having quite an effect on her.   
  
Her feet on auto pilot, Erra made her way to the office, mindlessly nodding at fellow employees who offered greetings.  She was so distracted that when she entered her office she didn't see the person sitting in one of her guest chairs until rounding the desk.  The shriek she let out had the other person giggling a bit and smirking.     
  
“Damn it, Mina!” she yelled at her enforcer.  “How did you even get in here without a key card?!”   
  
“Kou was teaching me how....”     
  
“That little shit,” she interrupted, sitting down and letting out a heavy sigh.  There were days when Kamiya questioned whether or not it was a good thing to have Kougami and Nakamura teamed up.  Wiping her hands across her eyes, she finally let her gaze settle on her friend.     
  
Mina was smiling, but it was strained.  In fact, everything about her posture indicated stress.  It was also telling that she was fidgeting with what looked to be a crumpled piece of paper.  When the other woman was nervous about something, she never kept her hands still.     
  
“Mina, what brings you to my office at...” She looked at the clock and was unable to contain the absolute shock she felt.  “7:00 **a.m.**?”     
  
Nakamura was never cognizant at that hour.  If the shorter woman was in the office, she typically glared at people over a cup of coffee for a good hour before being of any use to anyone.  Erra tried to swallow down her own nervous tension.  Whatever Mina was looking to discuss must be terribly important.  This could not in any way shape or form be good.     
  
“Do you trust me Erra?”     
  
She didn't answer right away, carefully considering her answer.  It wasn't that she didn't trust Mina, but there were different types of trust.  There was the 'I trust you to not steal information about the new upgrades to the office security system' type of trust, which…well… _Damn it, Kou_.  There was the 'I trust you to have my back no matter what' trust, which she shared with the entirety of her team.  There was the ‘I trust my life to you completely’ trust, which only two people had ever managed.  
  
 _Oh god_ , her mind worried as she thought of Ginoza again, _I’m in way too deep._   
  
The type of trust that Mina was referencing was different than all of those.  It was written all over her friend's face, but the expression was also one Erra found herself relating to easily.  Only a moment more, and she answered with a definitive “Yes.”     
  
Nakamura was making intense direct eye contact, making Erra pay complete attention to her words.     
  
“I need to ask a very big favor from you, but it is going to involve a large amount of faith in me from you.  I can't tell you everything right now, and I need you to know, I would tell you anything you want to know, if it was an option.”  Mina took a deep breath.   
  
“Does this have to do with the case?”  Her interest was piqued, but in the few beats of silence lingering between them, a clicking and whirring noise called attention to a cleaning drone, unnoticed beforehand, which was close to finishing with the last bit of her floor.     
  
The other woman nodded, and opened her mouth to speak again, but Erra held up her hand and pointed to the cleaning drone.  Call it instinct or call it paranoia, the inspector was feeling a healthy dose of suspicion for anything automated that could possibly be connected to Sybil.     
  
Mina's eyes cut to the offensive little robot.  With a nod of her head, she indicated that she would wait.  Finally, when the drone vacated, Mina continued.  “I think I can get more information about the bodies we found, but it means we need to go out of the city, just you and me.”   
  
She didn't say anything.  Mina had more to say.     
  
“I want to be candid with you.  If I can find what I am looking for, it will probably put Sybil in a less than perfect light, but I think that you already know that something is off with the system.”     
  
Erra simply nodded, thinking of Ren and all of those remains that were incinerated.     
  
“I know this is a lot to ask of you, but I truly believe that I can solve this case, and possibly many others if you can just get me where I need to go.”  
  
Erra didn’t see an immediate issue, really. Take her enforcer out to solve the case they were working on? No problem. “Okay, so where is this place?”  
  
Mina winced a bit before responding, “Far. Maybe three or four hours beyond the cities out into uninhabited sectors.”  
 _  
Ah. Big problem._  
  
“Wait. Why on earth would you need to go that far outside the cities? If no one lives there, how will you find any helpful information pertaining to our case, Mina?”   
  
This could get the both of them in serious trouble, not to mention it was dangerous as hell, especially to attempt it without telling anyone else they would be gone.  
  
Mina was dead-set on the matter. She answered, “I can’t tell you that right now. Certainly not here.”  
  
“Where exactly are we going?”  
  
“I can’t tell you that either.”  
  
Erra couldn’t help the exasperated sigh. What was Mina angling for? She did trust Mina to have a valid reason, but she wasn’t sure she trusted her not to get them both killed in the middle of nowhere.  
  
“I know. I know it’s an outrageous request and it doesn’t make any sense to you and I’m sure you’re frustrated that I can’t give you details,” Mina explained.  
  
“Understatement,” Kamiya interjected.  
  
“-but I really believe this will all be worthwhile. Don’t quote me on this, because I don’t know what we’ll find at the location, but if it’s what I think it is…not only will I be able to solve this case, but I think…I think I might be able to figure out what happened to your husband.”  
  
That was it. How could Nakamura not have her on board after a comment like that? Obviously she would have to say yes now. If it had been another person, Erra might have thought that was just a line to bait her into agreeing, but the fact was that she _did_ trust Mina not to lie about anything having to do with Ren.  
  
Still, she wanted to check a few things before agreeing completely.   
  
“Let me have the day to really think this over, Mina. It’s a big decision. I’ll let you know by the end of the day.”  
Nakamura agreed and left Erra’s office.  
  
Kamiya spent the rest of the day gauging everyone nearby, looking at where various cameras in the building were located, trying not to seem suspicious as she checked various work schedules.  
  
She wanted to know the best time to leave and come back when the least amount of people would be there. After choosing several scenarios and working her plans out down to the minute in her head, there was only one thing left she was concerned about.  
  
Her partner.  
  
She had _just_ told him the previous night that she trusted him more than anyone else, and that was true. It was true, but this was something she couldn’t tell him beforehand. He would absolutely be against the idea, and not just because it broke protocol.   
  
Erra knew him well enough to know that he would never agree to put her in harm’s way with only Mina as backup.  
  
Luckily, because of the aforementioned evening, he seemed to be giving her a wide berth, either to let her sort things out or because he was too embarrassed by the kind things she had said. Part of her wanted to confront him about it…tease him a little, but she thought if she did, it would make it that much harder not to let things slip.  
  
Kamiya finally decided that she would let him know immediately upon returning, before anyone else. He would no doubt be furious with her, but this was something she had to do.   
  
She _had_ to know if Mina could help her find out more about Ren. All Erra could do was hope Ginoza cared enough to forgive her.  
  
  
********  
  
Mina spent the day a nervous wreck. She didn’t know what Erra’s answer was going to be. In the office, she really thought she’d convinced her, but the longer she waited for the answer, the less certain she became.  
  
Besides that, she was busy trying her best to avoid both Tet and Kou. Things with them both had ended well and she didn’t want to do something that might accidentally change that.   
  
She caught Yayoi eyeing her suspiciously many times throughout the day, but the seasoned savvy enforcer never said anything out of the ordinary to Mina.  
  
By the time the afternoon started wearing down and people went back to dorms or to their homes off-site, Mina felt like she probably looked like some nervous wild animal.  
  
Kamiya finally put her out of her misery and called her back into her office.  
  
Erra eyed her for a moment and Mina could swear she was reaching into her brain. The inspector had a knack for doing that more often than not.     
  
The red-haired woman toyed with the ring on her index finger, before answering.  “So, you want me to break protocol and take you to a place that you can't talk about here.”   
  
With a head nod, the shorter woman affirmed her superior’s assumption.  Mina had specifically asked Inspector Kamiya instead of Ginoza, because Kamiya was different.  She had empathy...and would be the most likely to say yes.      
  
“Okay…just—so, let me get this straight.  You think it is a good idea, for me, the inspector—your boss, to just go off blindly with you?”   She had raised her eyebrows.  “You gotta give me more than that.”     
  
“I did! I think I have a lead on our case,” Mina supplied.   
  
“Not enough information.  For all I know, I am going to take you out, and you are going to run away.  Then what? My life will be over! I don’t think I can risk it,” Erra reasoned.   
  
“Listen, I'll buy all your coffee for a week,” Mina said off-handedly.  Seeing Kamiya was not amused, Nakamura added seriously, “You know I won't run away.  I would get caught in a heartbeat and then thrown back in a facility.  You know me well enough by now to know that would kill me—and well enough to know that I wouldn’t be asking you this unless I had a really good reason.”       
  
Kamiya stared at Mina, studying her expression, her posture, and everything she could. Nakamura felt nervous about anyone scrutinizing her so thoroughly, but she stood firm and looked back earnestly. This had to be done, and Kamiya was her _only_ shot to make it happen.  
  
She found herself thinking of her brother, wishing there were some way to channel some of Kishio’s endless charm.   
  
He would have swayed her in a heartbeat.  
 _  
Kishio, if you’re there, please help me out_ , she thought desperately, trying not to roll her eyes at herself for talking to a dead man.  
  
Erra was looking down at the floor now, truly considering Mina's request.  When the redhead's eyes met Mina's, she knew she had convinced her.     
  
Sighing, the inspector said, “Don't let me down.  Be down in the car in fifteen minutes.”  
  
Mina tried not to respond with a shout of victory and hurried to her dorm to grab a few last minute supplies.  
  
  
 **** _To Be Continued..._


	19. Abandoned City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> co-authored by jolibrix 
> 
> *Mina finally takes a member of the Sybil Society (Erra) to an abandoned Unregistered settlement to look for clues on their case and pieces of her past.  
> *Erra quickly realizes this may have been a bad decision on her part, and that the two women may have bitten off much more than they can chew.
> 
> **This is one of my favorite sections that we've written of the story and I would really love and cherish any feedback you may have to share in the comments section!**

**CHAPTER NINETEEN: Abandoned City  
  
  
** As several hours passed, and the two women made their way out into the less urban areas, Mina found she was more comfortable than she had been in ages.  Never had she thought she would miss trees so much, and when they made it to the heavily wooded, less traveled areas, the smell alone brought back enough nostalgia to make her eyes mist.    
  
She was thinking of her brother.  All he had taught her had proved to be invaluable, not just in her life with their people, but in this unexpected turn after being tossed into Sybil Society. It still hurt so very deeply that he was gone.  She missed him so much.  His face and, unfortunately, the memory of Brolin’s face never seemed to fade the way that everything else did.       
  
“Hey, are you okay?”  Erra questioned, voice quiet and concerned.   
  
“Yeah, just thinking.”      
  
“You gonna tell me what this is about?”  She was understandably impatient.     
  
“You know that last body dump?” Nakamura questioned.  
  
The inspector shot her Enforcer a deadly look to let her know how irritating she found the question. Of course, she knew. It was all that was on everyone in Division One’s mind. Nakamura flinched a little at how stupid that must have sounded.  
  
“Right… Well, I kept going over those remains. You know how carefully I’ve been studying them. One of the skulls in particular really seemed to stand out— and this is going to sound really weird,” she said, as she nervously ran her hands through her permanently mussed hair.     
  
“Go on.”  Kamiya wasn't looking at her because they were off the maps already programmed in the car, which meant it was on manual.  That was a feat Erra had not had to attempt, she told her subordinate, for longer than a few minutes, in ages.  The moment Kamiya had to do that, Mina noticed that the other woman's anxiety climbed much higher.     
  
Nakamura debated continuing because of Erra’s heightened stress, but went ahead, “That skull, you see—I think I know who one of them is.”     
  
“You what?”  Erra spared her a glance of shock, which quickly turned to irritation.  
  
“You brought me out here for _this_?!” Kamiya began ranting, “’A skeleton,’ she says. She says she can identify a person from just a skeleton with no records, absolutely no Crime Co-efficient...”   
  
The inspector’s habit of talking to herself, when faced with skepticism, was coming out in spades.  “How exactly can you do that, if even Sybil can't figure it out?  There aren’t even stress levels the system can read on a dead body to pick out an identity.  It’s weird enough that you can figure out how they died with no records, but this… What are you even talking--?”   She didn't even finish her question, just continued to shake her head.     
  
Mina frowned, irritated at the muttering.  “Ok. So, obviously something is off about the Sybil System. We both know it, and probably more so than any of the others at headquarters. You agree, yes?”  
  
Mina paused long enough to allow Erra a head nod, then continued, “Now, you might not know much about this, but before Sybil, people had to match up dental records, fingerprints, and even sinus cavities of cadavers by hand, right?  There wasn’t just some massive database that kept track of every single inhabitant in the country. Seems like a pain in the ass, I’m sure, but clearly it also has its benefits—like when the database _refuses_ to identify the remains.   
  
Those particular remains have a lot of interesting markers, but on that one in particular... Well, I knew a guy with very distinct teeth, and I think that one of our skulls is his.”     
  
“Distinct… _teeth_? So, what are we doing here?” Erra questioned, becoming more uneasy the further they got from familiar cities.   
  
“Also, I think you should know, you sound completely crazy.  He must have had one hell of a smile.”   
  
“ _I’m_ crazy?  You’re the one who agreed to drive me hours outside of Tokyo without knowing why!” Mina argued.   
  
“A decision I’m quickly regretting during this conversation,” Erra admitted, nose turning up.  
  
Huffing, Mina added, “We are here to find some photographs of this person, who did have a hell of a smile, thank you very much, so I will have something definite to show Inspector Ginoza.  I cannot bring this to him without having the hard evidence.  That guy hates me enough already.”   
  
Of course, that wasn't the only reason.  Mina had another motive for having Erra bring her all the way out where they were going.   
  
There were things she left behind, in the very same bag that contained her pictures… Things of sentimental value.    
The brunette also knew that if she told Erra about the Unregistereds, she would have to report it.  All this needed to go down without revealing anything about the place or people.  Otherwise, the MWSPD would have to clear the city, and all of those people would wind up in her former shoes as a prisoner in a rehab facility.  The situation was delicate.     
  
It wasn’t something Mina was confident she would be able to accomplish with such a clever partner along for the trip, but Erra had been the best choice and Nakamura was prepared to accept the consequences if things went south. She felt like she might even survive rehab, if she could get someone like Inspector Ginoza to believe in the corruption of the system.  
  
The look the inspector gave told Nakamura that she knew Mina was holding back, but she had not turned the car around, which was more than Mina had honestly expected.  Four hours in, and many confusing turns later, and they were just outside an old Unregistered city settlement.     
  
“For the record, Inspector Ginoza may be a pain in the ass—but I still don't think it’s because he hates you. He just doesn’t understand you. He doesn’t do well with things like that. So don’t feel that it’s you, personally, that he hates,” Erra's words were soft and reassuring.   
  
Mina clicked her tongue hard in response.   
  
_He will after this_ , she thought.  
  
  
********  
  
They had to walk quite a ways to get to their destination.  As the two traveled over the rural terrain, the inspector was glad that her flats had still been in the back of her car. Her usual heels would have been useless on actual earth instead of the endless city pavement back in Tokyo.  Erra was confused and annoyed that she had been lead out here, but it reminded her of something her husband had told her before disappearing, so instinct told her to follow.     
  
Mina interrupted thoughts of Ren with, “So this is the plan.  When we go through that thick brush, you are going to see a city, and you are going to have questions, but now is not the time.  I’ll answer them, but not here, got it? Also, you look too conspicuous.  Untuck your shirt and take down your hair.  Better leave your blazer here, too.”     
  
Erra hated the bossy tone of her enforcer. In fact, it crawled all over her to be told what to do by anyone, but she did as asked anyway.  The curiosity was killing her.     
  
Mina continued, “If you see someone, try to avoid talking to them, and no matter what you do, do not pull out the Dominator.  Use your shock baton if you must, but do not check Crime Co-efficients in here, okay?  That condition is completely set in stone, Inspector.”   
  
Erra had a moment of panic, because the little brunette was making it seem like they were going into a den of criminals.  “What the hell, Nakamura?  Is this going to be dangerous? Because you conveniently didn't mention anything about physical danger…and why the hell would you have photographs in the middle of nowhere like this?”  Kamiya hated when people kept things from her.  She had always been good at reading situations and people, and to just be led along blindly was far outside of her comfort zone.   
  
Avoiding eye contact, the enforcer moved forward and continued as though she had not heard the questions, much to the annoyance of her boss.  “You are going to wait outside when I go in.  This is non-negotiable, and don't gawk too much.  It probably won’t be an issue, though.  There shouldn't be anyone here.”   
  
“What the hell have you gotten us into?  You can’t go inside anywhere by yourself!  I am staying with you.  Remember, I am the inspector and you are the enforcer.   _That_ is non-negotiable.” Erra was dying to know just what kind of game Mina thought she was playing.  
  
“Um, no,” Nakamura firmly stated. “I am going to need you to trust me on this.  My plan is the safest and I’m trying to get in and out of here without either of us losing our damn jobs… or worse.  So, we will just sit out here, in the woods, until you agree.”  The statement was punctuated with a cracking sound as the stubborn woman sat down forcefully on a rotten log, crossed her arms, and stared defiantly at her boss.  “Otherwise, bust out your Dominator right now, paralyze me, and take me back to HQ for my reaming,” Mina dared.     
  
“Are you testing me?” Kamiya growled. “I’m not about to shoot your stupid ass, but I _do_ have the code for the car.  I will just go back, and leave you here.”   
  
“No you won't,” the enforcer called out on Kamiya’s bluff. “If you come back without me, you will get into loads of trouble, and let’s be honest, leaving me out here isn’t something I would exactly take as a punishment.”     
  
“You are so _damn_ frustrating, and I already regret my decision to consent to this idiot plan.”  She tied her long red hair back up and glared.     
  
They stayed like that, and the inspector ran through several scenarios in her head, trying to choose the smartest plan. Erra was getting uncomfortably hot.  It was muggy and miserable.  It was early autumn, and while the nights were becoming colder, it was still quite warm during the day. It didn’t help that the humidity was high, because of an incoming storm. By the time the decision was made to go along with the proposed plan, it was more out of necessity.  The heat was killing her.     
  
“Fine,” she consented with much frustration.  “Let's go.”     
  
At that, Mina leaped up and led them through brush.   
  
What was beyond the foliage was nothing like Kamiya had ever imagined.  Scrap metal, wood, and rocks came together to form a hodgepodge of buildings.  No two were alike, but most were cramped in close together.  There wasn't a person in sight, so Erra took it all in, with utter wonder and bewilderment.  This was archaic and poor, and something from the past.    
  
“Are there people here?” she asked cautiously, muttering it out of the side of her mouth like they were being watched.  
  
“No.  Not now.  It’s not the right season,” Nakamura answered mysteriously.   
  
The answer just fueled more questions. How had people lived out here, and why?  The cities of Japan had all conveniences imaginable, but from the small amount she could see, there weren't even power lines in this shanty town.  They walked through multiple alleys, and at one point had to remove bits of rubble from the street where a building had collapsed, in order to make it through.    
  
Inspector Kamiya was so engrossed in the landscape, she almost ran into the shorter woman's back, not realizing she had stopped.  They were standing outside of a two story building made of wood and rusted steel.     
  
“I suppose you are going to remind me to stay out here, right?” Erra directed to her subordinate.   
  
She would love to explore inside one of these weird little buildings, but truth be told, she wasn’t completely opposed to staying outside. Erra thought maybe she could get a better grasp on things if she could study the landscape more closely.   
  
Mina, who seemed to be in her own little world, didn't answer.  All of her focus was on the stairwell, which looked _extremely_ unsafe.     
“Hey.  Hello!”  Finally, she gave up and grabbed the enforcer's shoulder, giving it a good frustrated shake.     
  
“Stay out here,” Mina finally responded and quickly mounted the steps, each one creaking and cracking as though about to collapse.    
  
“Augh, I just said that!” she yelled, but her words found empty space.     
  
Time passed, and the smell of the city started to get to her.  It was earthy and moldy.  Never had she wished for a cleaning drone more than now.     
  
There was plenty of time to commit the landscape to memory.  After a careful perusal, Erra had to admit that, in a way, it was quite inventive.  Nothing was wasted, and with keen eyes she discovered that many of these buildings had signs.  Granted, most were in a language she had never seen before, but it made it clear that this was a human settlement and not just a jumble of junk.  A few of the doors had large red x's over them, and a mental note was made to question Nakamura about it later.     
  
Erra thought of Ginoza suddenly and winced. He would be most unhappy with her. In fact, he probably already was. Someone was bound to have notice Nakamura missing by this point. How the hell was Erra supposed to explain this to her partner? It wasn’t something she thought she could just flirt her way out of. The thought of him seething because of her made her fidget in place and glance at her wrist communicator.  
  
She’d really made a bad decision here.  
  
It seemed to be taking too long.  Erra had obviously planned to follow, there was no way in hell she would really let Mina in there alone for long, but she wanted to give the enforcer a chance to do whatever it was she was so keen to do in private.   
  
A few minutes passed.   
  
What the hell was Mina doing?  Had she run off?     
  
With growing apprehension, the redhead attempted to get a signal on her communicator, and was dismayed to find nothing.  They were disconnected from everything.  If something went wrong, they were screwed. She had planned from the start to have Ginoza and Kougami come to get them if things went completely to shit.  Now that wasn’t an option.  
  
Why had she agreed to this in the first place?  Agitation caused her to pace back and forth in front of the stairs.  It was better, she tried convincing herself, that there wasn’t a chance to call for backup.  Ginoza would certainly have had her head if he had seen for himself just what Erra had been talked into.  
  
Suddenly she had the horrible realization that once she told him, (because of course she would, eventually. He deserved that much) he would no longer want to extend that offer of friendship.  Not only would she be sent away to some facility—though not by her partner; she trusted him more than that—but he would never want to speak to her again.  He wouldn’t look at her with fondness but with contempt.  The very idea made Erra feel as if the wind had been knocked out of her.    
  
In an instant, her thoughts were forcefully interrupted.  She actually saw the building shake followed by a loud thud and the sound of broken glass.  She stalled for a second before breathing deep, drawing her shock baton, and flying up the stairs.     
  
  
********  
  
When Mina made it to the second floor landing, she glanced back to make sure Kamiya had followed directions.  The inspector did not need to see the inside of any of these rooms.  Any clue of recent habitation would lead to way too many questions.  Aside from that, Mina wanted to be alone.  She had known that all the Unregistereds would have moved on to the next shelter city.  Telling Erra to change her appearance to look as disheveled as possible had been mere precaution, just in case they ran into someone.    
  
Appeased that her boss was still downstairs, she continued through the dilapidated building.  The woman forced down memories brought on by the smell of the place.  Molding wood, wet metal, and the sickly sweet smell of fruit left drying on cords was her childhood.  She could still remember fighting her brother and accidently taking down three of those heavy lines.  They had been in so much trouble with the whole community after that mess.  The memory brought a little curl to her lips.   
  
Four doors down, she slowly turned the door handle, seeing if it was locked.  It was odd to think of how used to automated entryways she had become.  Opening an actual door in Tokyo was rare.  When this door cracked open, she waited, just in case there were stragglers left over from the move.  Satisfied that it was empty, she opened it completely and entered.     
  
It was a single room, left bare.  The former occupants, if there had been any, would have taken everything with them.  Once inside, the brunette moved quickly to the hiding spot she and her brother used to keep.  A count of twelve floorboards away from the eastern wall brought her to a kneeling position.  With great care, she lifted the board, wiping her face as dust filled the air.     
  
A long breath she had unconsciously been holding escaped loudly.  A small bag was crammed down at the bottom.    
  
“It's still here.”  Tears threatened to escape, but there was no time... she needed to get back before Inspector Kamiya came after her.  Nakamura was certain she would eventually follow her inside, despite the order to stay out.     
  
Lifting the careworn duffle bag with reverence, she ignored her own advice for expediency. She had to know if it was all in there.  The bag was filthy.  No one had moved it for a very long time, but she had been gone for so long.  So much time was still unaccounted for in here memories.    
  
“Please be here.  Please,” she begged.     
  
On top was a ratty sweater, and just touching it made Mina ache for her old life.  The garment was nudged to the side to reveal a digital photo album.  That too was moved over to let searching hands rifle through the contents.  It was during this careful inventory, when her attention was completely swallowed by reverent pieces of the past, that the door behind her groaned.     
  
That small, insignificant sound was the only thing that saved her from being bludgeoned by a long piece of rebar.     
  
Afterward, she would kick herself for not hearing the footsteps. The last time Mina had lived here, she could have told you if someone was moving on the first floor.  She had been so attuned to the place.  Nakamura felt almost embarrassed by her lack of awareness.  
  
A roll brought her body out of harm’s way.  The steel, so heavy and dense, managed to crack a floor board close to her head.  Fully attentive now, muscle memory facilitated her latching onto the knotted steel.  The man, who was pulling the damned thing back to strike again, didn't even flinch at her added weight.  He curled her up to his face, lifting her off her feet, and the view made Mina screech.   
  
His face was pockmarked with holes, as though his skin had been eaten away.  She could clearly see two of his teeth and the red of his gums.  One eye was missing, and bone showed where his chin should be.  Such open sores littered his body.  The smell of rot came off of him in waves.     
  
Nakamura recovered quickly, though. Her brain put two and two together.  Mina knew what the drugs so many found themselves turning to did to the body.  She had just never seen it to this extreme.  It would make sense for this man to be ostracized by the group and left behind.  He was insane, body and brain breaking down.   
  
The attacker was still huge, still formidable, even more so because he was crazy.  If she let go of the rebar, there was a higher chance of him hitting her with it.  If he got her in the head, one blow would be all it would take.  Anywhere else, it would probably still incapacitate her. As it was, he was flinging her much smaller body with strong jerking movements trying to dislodge her.  Luck brought one of his feet down into the hole previously occupied by the bag.  His huge arms flailed to keep balance, releasing the bar into her grasp.     
  
Standing, with precision, she brought the bar down in a perfect arc from right shoulder to left hip.  It hit him in the neck, right on the carotid, which usually at least brought people to their knees.  Some people even passed out.  But the drugs had taken away whatever it was that let his body know he was supposed to feel that pain.  
  
Mina swung again as he lumbered forward, clearly stunned.  This time she missed completely and hit the window.  Now, he was almost too close to hit.  It was now or never, and in a desperate attempt she went for his kneecaps.     
  
He went down, but _just_ to his knees. A large hand grabbed at her shirt, tearing it, but still bringing her forward.  She dodged the first punch, but was too distracted by his other hand, which had come to easily choke her.  It only took two punches to make her black out completely.     
  
  
********  
  
Erra's quick pace was hindered by a step collapsing under her left foot.  She ignored the pain in her knee and chin that came from falling forward and hitting the steps.  There was definitely something wrong upstairs that required immediate action.   
  
Finally on the landing, she slowed.  The inspector was looking for an open door, listening for more sounds of struggle.  They came soon enough.  A feminine growl, followed by a thud, sent Kamiya right to the door.     
She didn't need to proceed with caution, because all was visible from the entryway.  The inspector took in everything in less than a second.   
  
A very large man was choking Mina's completely limp form.  His clothes were stained, threadbare, and there were patches of what looked like exposed flesh all over his visible skin.   The hands around the enforcer's throat were so big they overlapped.   
Enforcer Nakamura looked dead.     
  
The woman who Erra was in charge of watching, looked dead.  The woman who just minutes ago was trekking through the woods... the woman who supported her decisions... the woman who treated her like a friend...  
  
It was less than a second, but Erra felt slow.  Her blood thrummed in her ears and her heart hammered against her chest.  Rage tightened her grip on the electrically charged rod.  She held it like she had been taught, and Kamiya didn't even slow as she picked up a large steel bar off of the floor.  There was no hesitation or fear.   
  
The massive form didn't even turn to acknowledge her presence.  Electricity was applied to one of the large open wounds on his neck. The body jolted and dropped her friend.  The sound of Mina's body hitting the floor did nothing but make the inspector angrier.     
When a burning smell reached her nose, Erra noted that her weapon of choice was about to burn out— probably from being jabbed into the sick, sticky, wet tissue of the crazed attacker.  
  
She kicked him in the face as he fell forward.  Blood flew from his nose, and what was probably a tooth fell to the floor.  Erra was not really looking.  Whatever he lost from his mouth was of no importance.  What Kamiya stood to lose if she could not overpower the hulking man was infinite.  The rebar was heavy enough that she needed both hands to swing, but it didn't matter.     
  
His brain must have been addled, because he was still reaching for Mina's limp form.  It was then that she justified her next action.  He was an immediate threat, and had to be stopped.  Without intervention he would continue. No other means were available and since she refused to be the one ending up dead, Inspector Kamiya used the rebar.   
  
The first hit didn't make him go down completely.  The steel met his head making it thrum and bounce back a bit.  Erra did not loosen her grip until the next hit finally made his body as limp as her friend's.    
  
She turned her back to the target of her rage and knelt to Mina's body.  Kami was looking for something to patch, something to make better.  Nakamura’s usually dark skin was gray.  Horrible bruising around the brunette's neck made Erra pause before attempting to take a pulse.   
  
Tears blurred her vision.     
  
This wasn't fair.  Losing someone else was too much.  What good was she if she couldn’t protect the people she cared about?  Finally, she wiped her eyes, and pressed fingers to the artery, almost jumping out of her skin at the contact.  There was a weak pulse.     
  
Sounds of happy affirmation left her in hoarse cries.  She sat back and held Mina's hand.  She would take Nakamura home and they would just pretend this little mistake never happened.    
  
The small scuffling noise behind her only registered after the feeling of massive, intense pressure on her right side.  Erra turned, and watched in shock as the man she had assaulted brought his shiv up now a second time and stabbed her thigh.  
  
Without thinking, her shaking hand pulled the piece of sharpened tin out, blood welled out of the wound with every beat of her heart.  Trembling as blood soaked her clothing, she turned her hands to the attacker.  He had already fallen face first, and Kamiya wasted no time in jabbing the crudely made weapon deep into his neck.     
  
_There is no way he's coming back from that_ , she thought to herself, breathing heavily and trying to steady her hands.  She hoped her ability to control her hue wouldn’t be altered after killing this animal.     
  
But now there were even bigger problems.  The wound in Erra’s side was bleeding quite a bit, but it seemed to be shallower than the one in her thigh.  While the makeshift blade seemed to miss the femoral artery, it was still serious.  The dark color of the blood and the fact that every heart beat just brought more spurting forth frightened her.     
  
As she removed her belt to make tourniquet she screamed for Mina to wake up.  Once it was tied off, she shook the enforcer and slapped her face.  “Wake up. _Please_ wake up! Get up, Hound Four!”   
  
She had never shouted that insulting name at her enforcer, but that did the trick.  Mina's eyes flew open as she drew a loud deep breath.  Slowly her head turned to face Erra.  She was blinking rapidly, trying to overcome her shock and dizzying headache.   
  
“You have to get up, Mina.”  Erra was certain she’d spoken the words herself, but they seemed disconnected from her body.  She was scared.  Never had her body sustained wounds as bad as these, and the pair had gone far from civilization with no intention of alerting the Sybil System what they’d been up to.     
  
The brunette enforcer seemed to come back to reality in a rush, and sat up quickly.  Having nearly died and watching the blood pouring from the one person in Tokyo she considered a friend, Nakamura promptly vomited.  When finished, shaking hands wiped her mouth before moving her body to crawl to the injured redhead.  On the way, her hand landed in a sticky puddle of thick blood.  Kamiya watched as the enforcer stared, realizing the huge pool had come from her inspector. Nakamura was seemingly about to lose it.  Mina needed to move faster.  A lot faster.     
  
“Enforcer Nakamura, you have to get your shit together and get me out of here. Right now.” Her own voice sounded even hollower in her ears, and she wondered if it was from blood loss. Trying to take command of the situation was becoming difficult as her hands continued shaking out of control.  
  
Erra could see the exact moment the enforcer was able to grasp the severity of the situation.  Wide crystal blue eyes cleared and scanned the wounds.  “Fuck,” came Mina’s words out in a rasp.  “We have to get you out of here.”   
  
“No shit, genius,” said Kami, sarcastic to the end. “Help me up.”   
  
******_  
To Be Continued..._**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to see more awesome commissions, check out the gallery for that, here:  
> http://thatgingahninja.deviantart.com/gallery/58932078/Psycho-Pass-Unregistered


	20. Race Against a Casualty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> co-authored by @jolibrix 
> 
> *The rest of Division One realizes they are missing two members.  
> *Can an injured Mina help get the worse-off Inspector Kamiya back to civilization before her stab wounds bleed out? Can she do it without the Sybil System finding out?
> 
> **We would really love and cherish any feedback you may have to share in the comments section!**

**CHAPTER TWENTY: Race Against a Casualty  
  
  
** Kougami was in the middle of working out in the gym when a woman’s voice interrupted him.  
  
“Kou, we may have a problem here,” Yayoi Kunizuka said quietly.  
  
Placing his weights on the floor and using the bottom of his shirt to wipe sweat from his face, he asked,   
“What is it, Yayoi? Pops getting a little too tipsy for his own good again?”  
  
Kunizuka was often the one to let Kougami know when Masaoka was too drunk in public during his off time. She understood he would always prefer to take care of such things before rumors circulated and reached Ginoza’s ears. So, the fact that she was in the gym now, looking for him when the work day was done, seemed to point to Pops getting out of hand.  
  
“No,” Yayoi said in that flat way she had. “It’s Nakamura. She’s not here.”  
  
“What do you mean ‘not here?’ Like she’s not in the gym or she was supposed to meet you somewhere and didn’t?”  
  
“I mean, she isn’t in the building…at all.”  
  
Kougami stood and gently gripped Kunizuka’s upper arm, ushering them both towards the exit.   
  
“That’s impossible. She has to be here somewhere.”  
  
“Kougami, I wouldn’t have come to you unless I was certain. I wanted to ask her a few questions about our victims and see what I could contribute to the case, but I couldn’t find her. I went into her room, I came to the gym once, before you were in here. I checked the ladies’ room, the floors where we enforcers have access, the bar, even the medical ward to see if she might be hanging out with Nurse Seki again.”  
Kougami tried not to scowl at that possibility, even though that was his first thought on where to search, as well.  
  
“I was getting concerned, so I thought maybe she had gotten tired and dozed off somewhere again. I looked in all of Division One’s enforcer dorms and the common room _and_ Seki’s room after he gave me permission. She wasn’t in any of those places.”  
  
The two of them were rounding the corner now, heading to the elevator that would lead them to their offices. Once inside, Kunizuka flipped a switch for something on her belt.  
  
“Where did you get that signal jammer?” asked Kougami.  
  
Yayoi gave a subtle, sly smile in response but continued with the issue at hand. “I thought maybe the chief had summoned her, and I was worried after what happened to her with those drugs, so I decided to hack into the system for tracking our criminal ID bands,” she said, holding up her arm to display the wristwatch-looking thing around her wrist.  
  
The two of them exited the elevator and walked into their set of offices, where Kougami grabbed a spare shirt he kept in the filing closet and changed into something dry, buttoning as Kunizuka continued.  
  
“Her signal wasn’t in the chief’s office and it wasn’t in the building. In fact, it wasn’t anywhere _near_ the building. It was several hours away from here, blipping along at a speed like she was in a car, and then it just vanished.”  
  
“Vanished?! What do you mean, ‘it vanished?’” Kougami growled. He wasn’t angry with Yayoi, in the least, but this whole thing was getting him more and more riled up.  
  
“It disappeared. Her signal went dark, which means either the ID bracelet was broken suddenly or she moved so far out of range, the Sybil tracking system ceased working,” the tall, black-haired enforcer finished.  
  
Yayoi interrupted to say, “We both know there would really only be one way for an enforcer to get that far away from the building. Someone with clearance must have allowed her to leave, or it’s possible that Inspector Kamiya might even be with her…but the person who would know that is—“ she looked up at Kou, lifting both eyebrows with apprehension.  
  
“Gino,” Shinya finished for her. He sighed and plopped himself down in the nearest rolling office chair. “I see the problem. If Kamiya did take her and Ginoza’s aware, he’ll also be aware that you were hacked into the system for this. If he isn’t aware, he will understandably lose his shit.” Swallowing thickly, he added,   
“And if he knows for sure that Erra is at home or anywhere else for the evening, then that means Mina—“  
  
He trailed off and put his head in his hands. He didn’t want to finish that thought.  
  
Sighing again, Kou pulled out a cigarette and uttered, “We have no choice. We’ll have to get Gino involved on this. Might as well prepare for the reaming now.”  
  
  
********  
  
Ginoza was staring through his computer monitor.     
  
His curiosity over Erra's secret was strangely acute.  It had taken on an impatient life of its own, despite the fact that a part of him was very afraid of what she would tell him.    
  
It was obvious that what she had to say was going to vilify Sybil.  That much he was sure of.  The question was, how much of it would actually be new to him?    
  
Of course, that fact didn't really matter.  What mattered was preparing himself for what would probably be something else that would be damaging to his psycho-pass.  It had already become a struggle for him trying to live within their society without being labeled a latent criminal.  
  
He need to try hard to maintain his status, while still assisting or comforting Erra in any way possible.  Every time his imagination would bring up the possible things that she might say, he would stop the thoughts before anything came to a tangible point.  It wasn’t really getting him anywhere, and he was just making the situation worse.     
  
At least, that was what he told himself.     
  
He had to think of something more pleasant.  He was remembering the way her hand had looked in his, mentally retracing the exact feel of it in a vain attempt at distracting his racing mind, when Kougami's voice cut through his thoughts.     
  
“Gino,” his ex-partner said as he jaunted up to the desk.     
  
Immediately, Ginoza could tell that something was wrong.  Whether it was the set of Kougami's shoulders or the slight twitch in his gait that told him this, he could not say.  All he knew was that something had the enforcer worried.  This was only reinforced by a worried look from Kunizuka who was following closely behind.     
  
“What's wrong?”  Ginoza stood up as he asked.     
  
“Do you know where Inspector Kamiya is?” Kunizuka questioned.     
  
Warning bells clanged in his head.  It was odd that Erra wasn't at her desk, but there could have been many reasons for that.  The fact that these two had noticed meant she had been gone much too long.  “No.  Why?”   
  
“Because we can't find Mina or Kamiya,” Kou said and then turned to the side to address Kunizuka.  “Tell him what you found out.”     
  
“I couldn't find Mina _anywhere_...” she started.     
  
“Did you check with Seki?” Ginoza asked, ardently hoping that this was not going where he was now certain it was.     
  
“I looked everywhere, Inspector.  So, I took the liberty of practicing my hacking skills to try and find out where she might be.”  The woman took a deep breath, eyeing her superior a little apprehensively, like she was waiting for him to snap at her.   
  
Ginoza, for his part decided to overlook the breach in protocol and security.  “And?”   
  
“She's off the map,” Kou supplied.     
  
“What the hell do you mean?   _She's off the map!_ ”      
  
As they filled him in, he felt his head filling with white noise.  He snapped himself out of it, forcing his concentration to the task at hand.     
  
“Can you track her car without it looking suspicious?” Ginoza directed to Yayoi, who nodded.  “Find out if the car followed the same path as Mina's tracker.  I am going to check the logs and see if they actually signed out.”     
  
“So, Kamiya didn't tell you she was going out?” Kou asked as Ginoza started the process of bringing up the sign out logs.     
  
“No.”   
  
Kougami kept silent as they both read through the logs.  “She signed Mina out, but didn't put a reason.  Where the fuck did they go?”  The enforcer sounded as upset as Gino felt.     
  
“Do you think Hound 4 forced her to...”   
  
“Absolutely not.  She wouldn't hurt your partner Ginoza.  Of that much, I am sure.”  Kou sounded completely confident in his answer, and he did know Nakamura better than anyone, so at least there was one thing Ginoza could feel comfortable about.     
  
Gino brought his hand to his head, feeling that familiar ache that came with extreme stress, and tried to think of what they should do.  “Kougami, go get my father.  Maybe they told him something.  Also, talk to Seki and the rest of the team.  Let's make sure they don't know anything.”     
  
“Got it,” Kougami called out as he walked away.     
  
It worried Ginoza that Kougami was worried, which also annoyed him.  They were already in such deep shit, and now this came up.   When Kunizuka came up to affirm that Kamiya's vehicle followed the exact same path as Mina's tracker, he felt his leg start to twitch.     
  
He looked at the map and tried to figure out where the hell the two were going.  There was nothing out there.  It made no sense.  He needed help from their analyst.  
  
Pushing a comm button on his desk, he said, "Karanomori, I need you down in Division One right away.  Tell no one where you're going."  
  
“Ooh.  I always knew this day would come, Ginoza.  Frankly, I’m surprised it took you this long to proposition me,” came back her obnoxiously flirty response.  
  
“ _Now_ , Karanomori!  This is a very serious and urgent matter,” he ordered before releasing the talk button and ending their call.  
  
When Kou came over the communicator saying that no one even knew the two women were going out, he couldn't help how loud his voice was.     
  
“Get down here and bring Nurse Seki.”  He hung up before Kougami could even try to ask him why.   
  
His first instinct was to fly down to the parking garage and follow the two women, but he knew that first he needed to gather more information.  He also needed his team.  They would put enough different perspectives into the mix that they could logically come to the best way to deal with this problem.     
  
Masaoka's reaction to seeing Ginoza made it evident that the inspector was not looking his best.  Gino merely snapped for him to sit down and wait for Kougami to bring the nurse down.  Once everyone, was gathered either in person, or over the communicator, Ginoza let Kunizuka fill everyone in.     
  
“Do any of you have anything that might help us?  Did Mina mention _anything_ about going out?”  Ginoza watched the faces of those physically present, and for the most part saw nothing to indicate that they had any answers.  Kougami looked like he was mulling something over, but Ginoza wasn't going to push the man just yet.  It was clear that Kou was just as distressed as Gino.     
  
“She was kind of acting funny yesterday, but nothing too weird,” Seki said.  The nurse was glancing at Kougami, clearly looking for the enforcer to bring something to the conversation.     
  
“Okay.  Kamiya didn't say anything either.  Does anyone have any idea what the hell is out there?  What could they possibly be doing in such a remote area?  Is there something about our case that might have led them that way?”  Ginoza asked the room, crossing his arms over his chest.  He wanted to panic.  Instead, he surveyed the room again.     
  
“I've got nothing.  Neither of those gals said anything to me to that effect.”  Masaoka chimed in, rubbing his chin.  The old man was mulling the situation over, and Gino really hoped he could come up with something.     
Kou moved from his desk where he had been hastily typing.  “I just looked to see what the maps say about that area.  There is a demolished section of city close to where they went off the radar, but if they kept going, the rest is just forests.  There were some very small villages out that way, but they probably wouldn't even be recognizable, because they were abandoned well before the Sybil system had even been thought of.  I had to dig deep just to find a map old enough.  There is _absolutely_ nothing there.”     
  
Seki opened his mouth to say something, but was startled from speaking by the sound of every member of the teams' communicator beeping.  Ginoza felt his throat close when he realized it was from Erra's car.  Everyone made some noise of relief when they heard Nakamura’s voice echo through the room, but to Ginoza’s frustration, they all began asking questions at once.   
  
“Damnit!  How the hell does this stupid fu...”  She obviously did not know there was an audience.     
  
Holding up his hand to silence his little mob, Mina finally registered she had connected to Division One.  
  
“This—isn’t just Pops…is it?” she asked more nervous than any of them had ever heard from her.  
  
Swallowing hard, forcing his throat to open so he could speak, Ginoza tried not to sound too angry when he asked, “Hound 4, where the hell are you?  Why isn’t Inspector Kamiya the one on the comm?”   
  
  
********  
  
Mina didn't have the time to feel guilty.     
  
_Later_ , her inner voice promised.   _You don't get to wallow in guilt until you get her back.  Get it together!  You owe her that much._     
  
Her hands scanned the wounds.  The tourniquet would hold, and in fact, was doing its job rather well, but the wound on her side was still bleeding.  Wordlessly, Nakamura took off her over shirt, tore it, and made a makeshift bandage.  A loud hiss indicated that Kamiya was in pain, and Mina couldn't stop the litany of “sorries” that left her mouth.     
  
Kamiya waved them off.      
  
Standing was a bit of an ordeal, but once up, Mina was able to start the process of lifting Erra.  The inspector, despite being taller, had a light enough frame that Mina should have had no trouble supporting the added weight. That did make a difference.  Unfortunately, not enough of one.  The height difference was proving to be a problem.  They would have to make do with each other, though.  Inspector Kamiya needed a med-kit and fast.     
  
_Hell_ , she needed emergency care, but they were nowhere near a facility that could help them.  
  
The first few steps were the worst because the injured inspector, out of habit, kept accidentally putting weight on her wounded leg.  Erra swore and apologized for being so stupid and bogging the pair down.    
  
“You got this,” cheered Nakamura. “We are going to get out of here.  I promise.  We’ll just do the best we can, right?”  The words of encouragement seemed to do the trick and help Kami focus her little remaining energy.   
  
When they made it to the entryway Erra leaned against the door frame, breath becoming more labored all the time, and said, “You better get the bag.”   
  
The dead bastard with the shiv in his neck must have given Mina a concussion, because this trip would have been in vain if she didn't at least bring back the album.  Leave it to her goal-oriented, consistently on-task inspector to be thinking clearly, even through her unsettling blood loss.     
  
Soon, bag shouldered, inspector supported, and a few nauseating moments later, they were at the stairwell.     
  
They cursed simultaneously.   
  
“Fuck.”  “Shit.”   
  
It would have been bad enough if they had been normal well-kept stairs.  As it was, it was scary to put one person's weight on the dilapidated boards.  Both women wordlessly started the frightening trudge downward.  A missing plank, where Erra had apparently damn near fell through, was quite the hurdle.  There was a point when the redhead's pale arm spasmed around Mina’s neck in fright, because the wooden plank beneath her creaked in a distressing way.  Much to Nakamura's annoyance and probably Kamiya's as well, they had to stop long enough for Mina to recover from the pain.  Upon reaching the bottom, they paused only long enough to share small smiles.     
  
The approaching storm’s humidity beat down upon them and sapped their strength as they made their way down the street to the edge of the foliage.  Mina’s throat was sore and her neck tender. Little black, floating dots flitted in and out of her vision, and she had a headache that felt like an icepick was being driven into her skull just behind the right eye. Nakamura knew that if she was feeling worn down, then Kamiya was probably about to pass out.     
  
As the enforcer pushed past the scratching greenery, she wondered how the hell she was going to get Erra through the woods and up to the car.     
  
  
********  
  
They might have made it twelve steps into the underbrush before Kami had to rest.  Oppressive humidity and heat stole her breath.  Sweat rolled down her forehead and into her eyes, which annoyed the hell out of her.   
  
When movement felt possible, a hand gesture was all that was needed to get the enforcer to her feet.  The woman supporting her was remorseful, guilt painted all over her face.  In the moment, Kamiya was glad of it.  It served Mina right.  This had become a cluster-fuck of epic proportions.  It would take some careful maneuvering to keep this a secret.   
  
They kept a snail's pace.  Branches, hidden roots, and even small inclines barely noticed before, now became mountainous obstacles.  Not to mention the mounting pain Erra was feeling.  Adrenaline and shock had worn off, and now, dull throbs of aching worsened with every step.     
  
Mina's labored breathing began to come out as wheezing.     
  
“Stop,” Erra commanded.    
  
Mina kept trudging.   
  
“Stop!” came a more urgent order.  
  
When Nakamura kept going, the inspector put her full weight on the shorter woman.  It was effective.  Mina groaned, set her against a tree with care, and finally sat down on a rather large root.   
  
When she felt a little less like passing out, she focused her attention on the enforcer.  “You owe me an explanation for this.  You know that, right?”     
  
The other woman nodded her head and stared at the leg wound.  “I promise.  I will tell you everything when we get back.  All of it.”     
  
“You better.”  The words came out harsh, but there was no helping being angry.  A little voice inside   
Kamiya’s head tried to rationalize that her underling had a good reason for keeping secrets, and that Nakamura really had not meant for anyone to be hurt on their outing.   Another little voice that sounded suspiciously like Ginoza told her she had been a fool to come out here at all.  She knew that to begin with, but the thought of her partner scolding her for being an idiot was much more pleasant than the one of bleeding out in those damned woods. She had to get back to him. She owed him that much.  
  
“C'mon, let's go,” she ordered, taking her weight off of the tree.     
  
As they repositioned, Mina said, “Thank you for saving my life back there.”    
  
“Yeah, well, don't make me regret it,” Erra responded. “We still have the whole drive back.”    
  
Though they were painstakingly slow, they both refused to stop.  Blood loss, heat, and their long sojourn to the vehicle was taking a major toll on the inspector, however.  More weight burdened her shorter and also injured companion, and made steps more difficult the further they walked.  More often than not, at this point, a wave of white noise took over Kamiya’s vision.  She wasn’t sure she could make it much longer.  
  
To make matters worse, the sound of water droplets hitting the leafy canopy above signaled the beginning of that oncoming storm.  It came as no surprise when, before she could even mutter a word about halting, she passed out.   
  
  
********   
  
When Kamiya fell, Mina fell.  It was a mad scramble to feel for the pulse of the bedraggled redhead. She was still alive, which was relieving, but she wouldn't wake—not even when the enforcer guiltily smacked her across the cheek.     
_  
How the hell are you going to get her to the damned car, little sister?_ came her brother’s voice in her head.     
Rain mixed in with frustrated tears. This wasn't fair. Things weren’t supposed to go down this way. While she _had_ thought there was a real chance that she, personally, would be removed from Division One, Mina had left confident this trip would be fruitful and brief, otherwise she would never have talked her new friend into this.   
  
It was possible that Kamiya would lose her job over this if they were caught, which was bad enough, but what if they never even made it home? Before now, the thought of them not making it home had never entered her head. It seemed hopeless for a moment as Mina thought about driving the car all the way back.   
  
Her brother’s voice tried to convince her to run and protect herself.  
  
Mina quickly snapped to the present. There was no way she was just leaving Erra here, not after what the inspector had risked for this.  It was not going to happen this way. They would get back to the CID. Inspector Ginoza and the others may try to kill her and would definitely send her back to the awful facility to drain away the rest of her life, but she would save Erra.     
  
With clumsy movements that would have sent her into fits of pain filled cursing had the redhead been awake, Nakamura lifted Erra into a fireman's carry. Every step was precarious, because the carry coupled with what was definitely the worse concussion she had ever had, made her balance that of a drunk person.   
  
The terrain quickly became slick with mud, which did not help matters, but she continued doggedly.      
  
The brunette eyed the last leg of the journey with trepidation.  An incline, the last barrier between them and the road, was the steepest yet.  It was also bare, lacking all the foliage that had made the muddy ground possible under the trees, and there was no way around it.     
  
Placing her body sideways, she dug her feet into the mud, using it as a hold for her foot while placing the other on the side of the hill.  She slid only the slightest bit.  This worked well until halfway down.  With a scream she slid and dropped Erra, who rolled faster than Mina would have imagined.  Erra groaned with the rude awakening brought on by Nakamura landing right on top of her.     
  
Sitting on her heels, Mina checked over the battered inspector. Luckily, it seemed that the mud had acted as a cushion. She was covered in scrapes, new bruises forming everywhere, and caked in wet filth, but she seemed okay. As okay as someone in her position could be, anyway, and Mina found herself admiring her friend’s strength.   
  
But now Erra was awake, and she seemed pissed, which was better than passed out, but a little frightening to behold. Mina didn’t have time for any of this. She grabbed Kamiya under her arms and backed rapidly up the steep hill, dragging her poor friend across the rocks and concrete. Mina was a little grateful that Erra was too exhausted to berate her much for the maneuver. With great effort, Nakamura helped Kami to her feet and gingerly sat her in the back of car.     
  
  
*******   
  
What the hell had Mina done to her while she was passed out?    
  
The last surge to the parking lot had been excruciating but she knew she’d sustained several other injuries while she’d been unconscious.  Thankfully, Mina’s determination helped dull Erra’s anger.  
  
She had time to take stock of herself in the car, and she immediately wished that she hadn't.  Mud was everywhere.  It felt like it was even in her ears.  Her leg ached worse than it had before, something she had previously thought impossible.  It was horribly discolored at this point and there were bits of earth in it, which made Kamiya nauseated.   
  
The med-kit Nakamura handed her from the trunk didn’t contain much, but at least it had real gauze and bandages.  The shirt of Mina’s around Erra’s abdomen was utterly ruined.  She took it off and her own shirt and tried to at least disinfect it before wrapping it tightly again.  
  
The enforcer was quickly losing points for her inability to figure out the car.  It took her five minutes to get the thing started, and at least fifteen to get the hang of steering.  While trying to stay conscious, Kamiya also tried to instruct her confused friend how to drive.  It could have been a lot worse, but it definitely wasn’t going ‘well.’     
  
Erra settled back uncomfortably as Mina began speeding exceedingly fast towards Tokyo.  With slow, exhausted movements, the inspector worked to scrape the mud off and fling it out the open window.  The smell of it was sickly.     
  
“What are we going do?  If I take you to a hospital, we’re both fucked.  I can't let you lose your job over this.  Is there a way to bypass scanners and get you into the CID?  Or just tell me to take you to the first hospital and I’ll do it, Erra.  I don’t care.  I’ll do whatever you want me to!”  Kamiya shook her head vigorously.  She couldn’t get caught or she would never be able to find out what the system was hiding about her husband.   
  
Inspector Kamiya knew there was one person who was clever and crafty and criminal enough to get them out of this mess.     
  
“When we get signal back, you have to call Masaoka.  He'll know what to do.  He can help.  Nobody else, Mina.  Especially not Gino.  He’ll blow his lid,” her words were slurred, her vision hazy.  Her partner would be extremely disappointed in her, but she didn’t want to think about that now.  “Don't forget you promised to tell me...”   
  
The rest of the ride was full of sparse moments of wakefulness.  At one point, Erra woke up to the brunette yelling at her to get up while shaking her shoulder furiously, trying to keep her eyes on the road and make sure Kamiya stayed alive a little longer.  Kamiya tried to stay awake but it was becoming more and more useless.  
  
Another time, Mina was beating on the steering wheel, yelling at the monitor in the dashboard.  Despite everything, Erra couldn’t help but find her technologically inept friend ridiculous.  She was pretty sure she laughed out loud at Nakamura arguing with a computer.       
  
The next time, she heard several muffled voices through the car's speakers.  It was obvious that somehow Mina had contacted all of Division One instead of just Masaoka.  To her shock, she picked out Nobuchika's voice and felt panic.  She specifically told Mina not to call him.  He would be livid…not only at what they had done, but at the fact that Kamiya didn’t warn him in advance.  They were fucked for sure.     
  
“Let me speak to Inspector Kamiya, Nakamura!” he ordered.  
  
And poor Mina animatedly explained that wasn’t possible and why.  
  
Kamiya could picture Gino’s face falling at the news, and she was so beyond feeling simply sorry for what she had done. If she had been stupid enough to get herself killed, her partner would never forgive himself. She knew it was true.  
  
Masaoka had somehow silenced his son and was now giving Mina instructions on what to do next just before Erra fainted once more.  
  
She was unsure how long it had been, but when Erra opened her eyes again, it was to the back entrance of the CID—the one that led directly down a long empty hall to the Enforcer dormitory section.  Mina was flinging open the car door, and Shion was walking toward them both with Tetsuo on her heels carrying a bag.    
  
They had finally made it.     
  
Kamiya knew that an Inspector would have to open the locked doors that led to the Enforcer housing.  It couldn’t be the analyst or the nurse.  Someone without latent criminal status would have to do it, and she didn’t have the awareness or strength to look for her own card keys.  That left only one other person.  
 _  
Please, Ginoza.  I’m sorry I’ve let you down. Please help me,” Erra thought as she barely clung to consciousness._  
  
  
  
 ** _To Be Continued..._**


	21. Storm in Division One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> co-written by @jolibrix
> 
> *Mina is in shock and Erra has lost way too much blood.  
> *Ginoza can't breathe when he sees Erra's state for himself and his need to control the situation starts trouble with the rest of his team.  
> *Tetsuo is desperate to prove to himself that he's still a surgeon that can pull people back from the brink of death.
> 
>  
> 
> **We would really love and cherish any feedback you may have to share in the comments section!**

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: Storm in Division One  
  
  
** Ginoza flew out of the back door of the enforcer living quarters.     
  
Mina's garbled and chaotic message had sent him into a panic.  The fact that it was the enforcer, and not Inspector Kamiya operating the vehicle made him more than terrified.  He didn't even know if there was a word strong enough for the emotion coursing through him.     
  
The torrential downpour limited his vision, and it took a couple of steps to be able to see exactly what was happening.     
  
Karanomori and Nurse Seki were kneeling beside the inspector who had been lain out on a makeshift stretcher only consisting of Enforcer Kunizuka’s familiar long coat.   
  
The rest of the world tuned out, became background.  All he could see was mud and blood.        
  
 _Blood_.     
  
There was blood covering her left leg and pooling to the ground below, along with remnants of a soaked bandage.   
  
There was blood on her left side, soaking her entirely.      
  
Her eyes were drooping.     
  
Her head was lolling.     
  
She was too pale.     
  
The words, “Forgive me.  No hospital.  Important.  Please promise, Gino.  Promise me,” left her mouth with labored breath, and she looked at him desperately before she passed out...a frightened look, the like of which he had never seen on her face.      
  
Unable to look away, mouth falling open, he knelt beside Seki, trying to figure out a way to help.     
  
There had to be something he could do.     
  
When motion finally came to his hands, he couldn't figure where to touch.  Instead, he just ran them a hairsbreadth away from her skin, noticing many other smaller wounds as the rain washed away more mud.  Her clothing was destroyed, hair matted, face and arms scratched and bruised.  His hands began to tremble slightly.     
  
“Move over, Inspector Ginoza.  I can't help her if you are in my way.”  Tetsuo's voice was curt and full of irritation, but still Gino obeyed and stood up.  The blond took in the inspector’s drenched form shaking and spoke again, softer this time.  “She's going to be okay.”  The shocked inspector didn’t even blink.  That statement was ludicrous.  How could she be ok?   
  
“Hey, Ginoza!  Are you listening?” he continued.  His eyes turned to the nurse briefly.  “They made it back in time.  Don't worry.”     
  
When Seki started digging in Kami’s leg to make sure nothing was in the wound, he had to look away.  The small sound of anguish that escaped his mouth sounded foreign.     
  
Looking up, taking a deep breath, he let his attention widen.  There, absolutely drenched, leaning against the brick wall, and clutching a beaten up bag, was Mina, and this was her fault.     
  
He couldn't help Erra yet, but he could do something about the errant enforcer.  So, as was his nature, he leaned into something he could control.  Every step made the anger more concrete.  Clouded hue be damned, he was going to tell the brunette exactly what he thought.  “Enforcer Nakamura!”  The words were bellowed, and were the only warning she had to his towering presence.     
  
Mina looked up, eyes haunted and rimmed red.  “I'm sor...” she mouthed, but no sound came out.  He couldn't be sure if it was because he refused to hear her, or if it was because she wasn't actually making the sounds.   
  
Suddenly, both of their attention was wrenched towards a terrifying sound.  Kami’s eyes were open again, and she was gasping frantically for breath.  Big gulps of air did nothing to help and they grew faster and higher in pitch.  Ginoza rushed back over to his partner, barely feeling his knees skin as he skid harshly across pavement, and shouted to Tetsuo, “What’s happening?  Why is she doing that?”   
  
Kami tried to say she couldn’t breathe, though that was more than apparent and her words were barely understandable.  
  
The ex-surgeon took his stethoscope and quickly listened to several places on her body.  As calmly as able, the doctor explained to Erra, “You’ve got air in your chest; it’s collapsing your lung.”  He began digging through his bag.  “I’m going to relieve that pressure but I’m going to need you to hold as still as possible, ok?”  Erra tried to nod but continued gasping and her arm flew out and gripped Nobuchika’s shirt.  “Ginoza,” continued Tetsuo, “I need her still.  You’ll probably need to hold her arms.”  
  
Gino moved rapidly, positioning himself above her head, out of the way, and pinned down both of her arms near the elbows forcefully.  Her desperate heaving made it difficult to keep a grip but he managed.  He knew she must be frightened.  He was terrified.  He wanted to do something besides restrain her.  He leaned his forehead down to hers and ordered her to be still.  It seemed to help.  
  
In only a few seconds, the doctor had something in his hand and addressed Kamiya once more as he began *cleaning* a site below her collarbone, “Alright, Kamiya.  I won’t lie.  This is going to hurt.”  Using a large gauge needle, he jammed it into place on her body and inserted a chest tube.  
  
Erra groaned and clenched her teeth, and Ginoza actually felt his eyes begin to sting.  Tetsuo opened the valve and a small hiss of air released.  Though she still gasped, they seemed to be less labored breaths with huge gulps of air finding their way to her lungs.  Her breathing calmed considerably in a few moments.  
  
“That's right.  In and out.  Just try to breathe normally now, Inspector,” Tetsuo requested.  
  
Gino’s grip against her arms loosened and she immediately grabbed onto one of his retreating hands with her own.  He moved his other hand to join, keeping hers tightly inside both of his.  Her breathing returned to normal, Tetsuo gave her a mild sedative, and she passed out once more.  
  
“What the hell is taking them so long?” Tetsuo muttered.  “She’s going to have to have blood!”  Yayoi rushed to find the others, and Karanomori continued her task of disinfecting every open wound she could find on the inspector.  
  
Looking up, Ginoza saw that Mina had not moved a muscle.  She still stood frozen, doing absolutely nothing to help.  She should have been looking for Masaoka or Kougami.  His rage renewed as he stormed towards her once again.  He couldn’t think straight.  All he could see was Kamiya's pale face and dark pools of her blood.   
  
“This is your fault!  You have put a top inspector in danger!  What were you trying to pull?  Were you trying to kill Kamiya?”  Mina squeezed her eyes shut and it only enraged Ginoza further.  He ordered, “Look what you’ve done to her.  Look at her!   _Look_ , damn it!”     
  
Mina was trying to put more space between them by pressing into the wall.   
  
“You are the _worst_ enforcer I have ever worked with!  I have never had such an insufferable burden on my team! And now,” he paused and slapped his palm against the brick beside her head, green eyes wild with anger.  Starting in a quiet voice that was almost scary, he added,   
“And now, I have to watch a valuable part of our division laying out here dying.”  His words cracked a little at the end, but Gino gained his composure with a new resurgence of hostility.     
  
The newest enforcer seemed to curl into herself.  The movement was so meek, it made him furious.  She wasn't fighting him, and part of him wanted her to retaliate like she normally would.     
  
He needed to put his rage somewhere, so he tried to smack the bag out of her hands.  “Is this what was so important?!”  It hung on her wrist but not before a few contents toppled out on to the wet pavement.  The dismayed look on her face made him feel better.  It was too far.  He was too far out of control. He told himself to get it together.  
  
Instead he shouted, “You are entirely incompetent!  Useless!”       
  
Nakamura looked down at the ground.  The little woman's body flinched with every word.   _Stop!_ he ordered himself.  It was no good.  
  
“Selfish.  You are selfish.  And... You took advantage of her--” he furiously pointed to the place where his partner lay, “of her good nature!  I told her not to get close to you, that you were just a hunting dog.  Why the hell does no one listen to me when I say that?”     
  
He closed his eyes as images of Kami at her most vibrant— flirting, teasing, and giving him sass-- made him stop for a moment.  She wouldn’t want this.  She wouldn’t like the way he was berating the girl in front of him.  If she could, she would probably have slapped Ginoza herself… but Erra wasn’t able to do anything and Ginoza refused to stop himself.  
  
The next words he chose because he knew they would cut the latent criminal like a knife.  “I am going to send you back to the rehab facility, but not before I train a dominator on you and find out _exactly_ how danger...”   
  
*******  
Kougami, per Yayoi's hurried instructions, found Pops and had him set up the scanner fragmenters the clever old Enforcer had come up with.  It wouldn't buy them much time, the things only lasted a few minutes, but it should be enough to get the girls in without problems.  He remembered Masaoka using them to sneak the enforcers out to go to bars long ago.  Thank goodness the old man kept up with his old tech toys.    
  
Kougami didn't quite run, but he didn't quite walk either.  That phone call had been chaotic and disconcerting.  What the hell had the ladies gotten themselves into?   
  
Mina's voice had been a rasp, barely recognizable, and she had been operating the vehicle. That had been a cause for concern all in and of itself.  She couldn't even get the machine at HQ to give her coffee on a good day.  It was amazing she had operated the phone.  When they had asked, she had assured them that Erra was alive, a relief to them all.     
  
Now, though, he needed visual confirmation.     
  
His first step outside was a little disorienting.  The rain wasn't going to let up anytime soon, and within seconds his clothes and hair were soaked.  Before he could take in the scene, though, Ginoza's loud voice carried over the storm and drew Shinya's attention.     
  
Two figures, Mina and Gino, were lit up better than anything else in the lot due to the floodlight above.  Three steps were all he needed to be able to hear everything the rampant inspector was saying.      
  
“You took advantage of her good nature!” The thunder rang out so heavily the next few words were drowned out.  Then, “… hunting dog.”     
  
Kou had moved his eyes from inspector to enforcer and was befuddled by what he was seeing.  Usually, when Gino yelled, Mina would yell back or simply walk away.  Even worse, the woman that he had come to know as stubbornly confrontational, was now huddling into a wall and flinching with every word spat.   She looked so damned vulnerable, which was new.  She and Shinya had been hooking up for how long now, and he had never seen her vulnerable like that.    
  
The Mina he was acquainted with would never have tolerated this show of force from Ginoza.  On the one hand, he assumed something was extremely wrong for Gino to be losing his control like he was.  On the other, the new vulnerability in Mina’s body, as she cowered beneath the towering Inspector, ignited a strange anger of his own.  
  
Couldn’t Nobuchika see that the woman was injured herself?  It was true that she was covered from head to toe in blood that clearly wasn’t her own, as well as mud and foliage.    
  
 _Where the hell have they even been with that much grass?_ Kougami briefly wondered.    
  
She was battered and bruised herself, covered in large scrapes, and shivering uncontrollably, either in fear or from the cold of being drenched.  He wasn’t sure which.  It could be both he supposed.  
  
All Kougami knew for certain was that when he heard Ginoza threaten Mina with a dominator it was too much; too far.  Gino was way over the line and Kougami was pissed.  
  
Grabbing onto his raging friend's collar, Shinya pulled the inspector away from the wall and Mina.     
  
They were now standing face to face, Ginoza slowly gaining his balance.  “Not another word, Gino,” he warned.     
  
“Get off me!” his ex-partner yelled.  
  
Trying to cool the flaring tempers, Kou released him and said, “You’ve gotta calm down, Gino.  You can’t help like this.”  
  
“Shut up, Kougami!  You have no right to stop me!” Ginoza shouted while pushing him away.  
  
Shinya’s anger was rising again.  He shook his head and said, “She wouldn’t want this, man.  She wouldn’t want to see you lik—“  
  
Ginoza’s fist connected to his jaw so forcefully it knocked Kou to the ground.  It had been the last thing he’d expected from the always collected man.  As he began to look up, he felt Nobuchika’s fist connect to his eye.  Yelling, “Stop it!” Yayoi gripped Gino’s arms forcefully, restraining him and pulling him back.  
  
Quickly recovering from the initial shock, Shinya got to his feet.  His anger and irritation were about to get the better of him.  Kougami's fist connected with the other man's jaw, knocking his head back and to the side.  It was a satisfying sight to see.   
  
A second punch knocked the inspector free from Kunizuka’s hold.  Clumsily, Nobuchika managed to keep himself standing but was obviously stunned.   
  
“Calm the hell down, Gino!” Kou ordered.  
  
Assuming that his point was made, Kougami started to turn around, only to have the full weight of the inspector knock him on his ass.  The wet asphalt beneath did nothing to absorb the blow.  Kougami’s shock, because his friend never scrapped like this, allowed Ginoza time to straddle his waist and punch him hard in the cheekbone.  Kou knew he was going to feel that tomorrow, for sure.  Grabbing what he could reach, the lapel of his attacker's shirt, he pulled hard to the side and rolled them.  There was a tearing sound and the distinct feeling of buttons flying off the garment.     
  
Ginoza shocked him by fighting against the movement, landing another punch to Kou’s mouth.  So, with an explosive heave upward, Shinya surprised the man with a head-butt.  A quick hip thrust and their positions were reversed.     
  
Gino's lip was now pouring blood, his bangs were plastered to his grimacing face, and his shirt was torn and bloodied. Kougami tried to remember the last time his friend looked so disheveled.  He was certain the answer was never.  Thinking to choke the man into submission, Shinya brought his forearm down, but Gino wasn't as stunned as he had thought.   
  
For the next few minutes the two rolled on the ground, continuing to try to best each other, each looking for something they could fix— something to control about this disaster.     
  
Finally, Kou managed to get on top of Nobuchika's back. The other man's cheek was pressed into the asphalt, but he was still squirming.  Kougami was sure Gino’s face and chest would be burned from the concrete.  He worked his arm around the enraged inspector’s throat for a choke hold, only to be roughly hauled back.     
  
Masaoka had them both up on their feet, his mechanical hand holding Kougami back, his other holding to the lapel of Gino's torn shirt.  They were looking at each other now, gasping for breath, spitting blood to the ground, but not moving against the old man's hold.     
  
Pops looked like he was about to strangle the both of them.  “Boys, what the hell are you thinking?”  He looked back and forth between the two, care and frustration written all over his face.  “Are you trying to get all of us arrested?!  Get inside.  The both of you!  Now.”  He talked to them like they were brothers caught fighting in the backyard.     
  
Kougami spared a moment to feel affection toward the old man, before shooting his friend a furious glare and stalking back into the building, rubbing at the throbbing pain of his jaw.     
  
********   
Mina had tried to scream at Kougami when the fighting first started, but short of getting between the two men, nothing was going to stop them.  She wanted to tell Kou that she deserved it.  That he should let Gino lay into her.     
  
It was Masaoka who finally convinced her to go to the rec room while he took care of calming the scuffle.  He looked tired.  Mina felt tired.  Too much had happened in one day.   
  
She left the light off and sat on the couch, awaiting the inevitable interrogation.     
  
What could she tell them?  It was still a struggle to think that she could tell these people, products of the Sybil System, that there was an entire community out there without their preconceived notion of civilization.      
  
It wasn't that she thought they would personally or maliciously try to hunt down her people.  It was that, once the secret was out, one of them would be bound to leak it, and then the Sybil System would not stand for that.  There would be raids.  She would be questioned, and locations would be divulged.   
  
_Unless you kill yourself first.  That's always an option, Mina._     
  
The inner voice sounded suspiciously like Brolin, but it was right.  She would rather die than be responsible for putting all those people into the hands of Sybil.  Mina still wasn't sure what happened between Brolin's betrayal and the rehab facility where Division One found her. That spot of her memory was completely blank, but rehab had been hard enough.     
  
When she really thought about it, the chances of any of the Unregistereds not having a high Crime Co-efficient were slim.  They hadn't grown up in a place where food, housing, and one’s place in life were taken care of... a place where the system could just drug you into complacence.  Even the children would be stuck in rehab, and probably for the rest of their lives.     
  
If there was one thing she knew about everyone back home, it was that they wouldn't do well locked up.      
  
Either way, she was telling Kamiya the truth.  All of it, just like she’d promised.  Then Erra could do what she wanted with it.     
  
Rubbing at her bruised throat, noticing more now that she was alone and quiet that her windpipe must be badly damaged, Mina felt tears sting her eyes knowing the choice Erra had made in order to save Mina's life.  She almost couldn't stop the tears from falling as she pictured Erra helping get the two of them back, even as she was critically injured.  She owed Erra the whole truth.  She owed Erra her life.  
  
The woman was shivering and staring at the wall when Kougami and Masaoka entered the dark room.  The seriousness on their faces made her shiver harder.     
  
********  
Seki was having a hard time pretending he wasn’t worried.  He and Karanomori kept exchanging brief nervous glances as they rapidly removed debris and stitched closed the wounds littering Inspector Kamiya’s body.   
  
If you were to judge his anxiety by trembling hands, you would never know he was nervous at all.  His hands were still and precise and never wavered, making him a most excellent surgeon…better than Shion and she wasn’t afraid to admit to that fact.  Her junior had a gift where surgery was concerned.  
  
Still, Seki’s mind was racing.  There had been too much blood loss.  The puddle beneath her on the pavement seemed like too much on its own, but he knew part of the reason for that had been the rainwater mixing with it and spreading it further.  He also knew, from what Karanomori told him, that the backseat of the car was filthy and it was very difficult to distinguish in the dark how much of it was mud and how much of it had been Kamiya’s blood.  To add to that, Masaoka had gotten from Mina that it had taken around 45 minutes from the time Erra was stabbed to the time she was able to drag the inspector to their vehicle.  
  
He had told Ginoza she would be okay to calm him down, but no matter how he looked at it, Erra was exceedingly close to death from blood loss.  Her skin was such a dull gray, cool and clammy.  Her heartrate was a fast 170 bpm for being under sedation and her BP was dangerously low.  
  
Seki knew hypovolemic shock was a very real possibility, at this point—and so was losing Inspector Kamiya completely.   
  
She needed more blood and she needed it right that minute.  Shion had already hooked the inspector to an IV, and was trying to find a way to bypass the system for the bags of blood they would need, while Tetsuo closed the remaining few stitches.  
  
Standing beside him and casting an uneasy glance at Inspector Ginoza, who had refused to leave Kamiya’s side, Shion whispered, “It’s not good news.  There’s no way to take out the amount of blood we need without it looking suspicious.  I could maybe get one bag, but you and I both know that won’t be enough.  Not to mention, I won’t be able to get my hands on any plasma.”  
  
“Then we have no other choice but to use whole blood.  We’ll have to hope someone here with us has the same type as Kamiya.  You get that one bag, Shion, and a field transfusion kit.  We’re going to need it.”    
  
Tetsuo immediately used his wrist communicator to bring up Division One's files.  Getting the much needed blood from someone on the team would be the most practical.  Already, Mina could be crossed off the list of donors as well as Kougami and Kunizuka.  It would be a horrible turn of luck if no one could act as a donor.  The whole blood would have to be ABO-type specific.    
  
He didn't realize it but he must have made a sound when he came across not one, but two people who could donate, because Ginoza shouted, “What is it?  What’s wrong?”  
  
He continued to check Kamiya over and didn't even turn around as he barked orders to gather both possible donors, forgetting that one of them was listening to him shout.  Ginoza wasted no time hurrying to fetch his father from the other room.     
  
A deep steady breath brought his eyes to both of her stab wounds.  He was trying to figure out what the hell had made the wounds.  It wasn't a refined blade... or even a serrated one.  The damage was lacking the uniformity he was used to seeing concerning edged weapons.  The very few and tiny bits of metal were also inconsistent with a typical blade.  Of course, if he were in a real operating room he could analyze what he was looking at with the help of technology and quickly find an answer to his curiosity.  He would have to ask Mina later.     
  
He was just finishing up cleaning a small abrasion on her forearm when he heard the sounds of Masaoka and Ginoza arguing.  He wasn’t sure how long they’d been at it, but it was impossible not to hear now, as he waited anxiously for Karanomori’s return.  
  
“I want to do this.  She's my partner, and I am your superior.  Stand down, Hound 1,” Ginoza's irritated command rang through the room.     
Masaoka tried to calmly debate his boss, but kept getting cut off at every turn.  “You are in no shape to do this, and you will need...”   
  
“Don't tell me what I need!  This all happened because no one listens to me.  Maybe all of you will learn from this.  I certainly hope...”   
  
“Son...”   
  
“Don't call me...”     
  
“Damn it!” the old man growled.  Tetsuo turned to see Pops pushing Ginoza into a wall with his forearm.  Ginoza’s arm was raised as if he had been about to hit the old man, but now he looked stunned by Masaoka’s sudden firm force.  “You need to be there when she wakes up, and you need to be unimpaired.  Think!  She doesn't want to wake up and see my ugly mug.  She wants to see you.  You heard how she called out to you, right?  She’ll need her partner awake and by her side.”     
  
Karanomori walked back in the room with their needed supplies and handed them over, before she noticed the scene at the wall.  The doctors watched as Ginoza visibly deflated and slumped against the wall.   
  
“Let me do this, Nobuchika.  Miss Sass will need a lot more from you than blood,” Masaoka said quietly, voice still firm.  
  
“Fine,” was all the disheveled inspector said before pushing his father toward Seki, who had already started setting up everything he would need to start the transfusion.  Ginoza slid down the wall for a moment, head on his knees, desperate to collect himself.   
  
Once Seki had Masaoka and Kamiya connected for transfusion, he rushed to wash his hands again, so he could monitor the next stages carefully.  Returning quietly, he caught the unusual scene of Inspector Ginoza with his hand on Masaoka’s shoulder.  The end of Gino’s words were all Tetsuo could hear.   
  
“…giving too much blood, old man.  I don’t need you to play the hero.”  
  
Pops nodded and chuckled quietly, as Ginoza returned to sitting at Kamiya’s bedside.  Seki exchanged a knowing look with Karanomori before the two enjoyed the immensely satisfied look on Masaoka’s face.  
  
At least there was one tiny bright spot happening amidst all this chaos.  It didn’t last long however.  The transfusion was a slow process, and Ginoza was growing more worried and agitated that it wasn’t working, even with Seki assuring him things were going well.  
  
Before long, the inspector didn’t seem to care anymore that he wasn’t alone.  He had things he wanted to say in case everything went south, so he did.  “Kami, what were you thinking?  You can’t do this to me.  You know I won’t be able to go on with a clear hue.”  
  
Masaoka glanced at Seki as Shion handed the old man orange juice to keep him from growing faint, concern creased on his brow.    
  
Ginoza continued his muttering, “I-I trust you.  I want to believe you had a good reason for this.  Please don’t leave me here without the answers.  I’ll never be able to forgive Nakamura.  I know you don’t want that, so you have to make it.    
See?  If you don’t come out of this, who’s going to keep me in line?  Who—who will stop me from being so closed off?  Who’s going to make me feel those things I’ve never felt before, Kami?  You can’t go now.  You _can’t_.  I haven’t even asked you on a proper date, Erra.  I swear I will.  I won’t be a coward.  Please, just do this for me.  I trust you.  Please.   _Please_ don’t die.”  
  
The sound of Inspector Ginoza’s voice cracking as he begged quietly in Erra’s ear, a man so stubborn and unlikable suddenly so desperate and hurt—it burned itself into Tetsuo’s mind, carving that pain into deep wounds that would scar, the way the screams of the people he wasn’t able to save on that bus had scarred.  
  
He couldn’t have this death on his conscious.  He couldn’t accept what it would do to Mina or the rest of Division One.  He couldn’t even accept that it would destroy a man he wasn’t particularly fond of.  Seki didn’t want this kind of responsibility or the power that accompanied it, but it was up to him anyway.  He was the only person capable of preventing Erra Kamiya from succumbing to her wounds.  
  
Erra was so very important in so many ways, and Tetsuo refused to let her fade, because it wouldn't just be the end to her.  It would be the end of a man who was very much on the brink of discovering a type of happiness he had never had before.  This much was definite.  It would be the end of Mina as they knew her... and possibly the end of Division One.    
 _  
No_ , Seki thought.   _This is my part, my reason, and I have every ability to save not just one person here, but many._     
  
Tetsuo would not give in.  He would make this work.

  
  
**_To Be Continued..._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here are some commissioned pieces of our characters: (I'm a firm believer in supporting artists that bring you so much satisfying fanart free of charge)  
> http://thatgingahninja.deviantart.com/gallery/58932109/The-Commissions


	22. Healing Hands and Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The members of Division One are divided and hurting in more ways than one.  
> Will Mina be able to trust anyone enough to tell them about her people and her past? Erra has made it through her surgeries, but how will her being so close to death affect Ginoza?

“It’s not great, but it will have to suffice,” said Nurse Seki as he finished settling Erra into the bed in Nakamura’s bedroom. Nobuchika thought he had really managed the stitches in her leg and abdomen well for not even being able to take the woman to the medical ward in the CID. “It would have been better to bring her to the hospit—“

“She said, ‘no hospital,’” Ginoza said firmly, despite the fact that he quite agreed that’s where she should be. Her eyes had pleaded for him to listen and he would honor that request…unless something were to happen that neither Karanomori nor Seki felt they couldn’t handle.

Seki, clearly exhausted, finally excused himself, eager to check over Nakamura and her injuries, and leaving Karanomori for whatever needed finishing. Sighing, the doctor Gino was more familiar with turned to face him. She stared at him momentarily with a pitying look on her face that Ginoza normally would have found offensive, but he didn’t have the energy to be obstinate just then.

“She’s going to be just fine, Inspector. I’ve given her the pain medication I have, which isn’t perfect, but everything cleaned up fine. Tetsurou did an incredible job with what we had. Really,” said Shion confidently as she stood by the door.

One look at Ginoza’s face probably told her everything she needed to know about how worried the man was for her patient. Knowing this was unlike him and that sentiment made him uncomfortable, she graciously added bait he could grab hold of while still saving face. “Someone really should sit with her until she wakes up, though. In case there’s a problem.”

Ginoza looked up at the blonde doctor, eyes wearied with distress, and nodded. More to confirm her observations than anything else, Karanomori added, “I can have Yayoi come to nurse her, if you need to get home, Inspector.”

He shook his head and replied, “There’s no need for that. She’s my partner. It was my job to watch her back.”

“Ginoza,” she began slowly, a little worried by his burden, “you know you aren’t responsible for this—“

“Doesn’t matter,” he interrupted flatly. “I’ll stay.”

He didn’t look up as he moved a wooden chair from the corner of the room to the bedside. Shion decided there was nothing more to say and left Gino alone with his partner.

Nobuchika sat next to Kamiya obsessively checking her bandages for leaks, making sure there was still a steady airflow from the chest tube, and looking for any small way to make her more at ease. His leg rapidly tapped up and down, channeling his anxiety in a more physical manner.

Ginoza felt like a failure. He was angry at Mina and he would deal with her accordingly, but he was livid with himself. Perhaps if he had been a more attentive partner, instead of distancing himself because of his confusing feelings, Erra would have been more inclined to tell him of Nakamura’s reckless plan. He was teetering on the edge of a safe enough hue as it was. If something happened to Erra, it would be the straw that finally broke him. He’d never forgive himself.

It was starting to seem like Division One was cursed under his lead, and it was all he could do not to obsess over those he had already lost.  Akane and Kagari were gone, definitive proof that it was possible for the lives he was responsible for protecting to disappear or end in death.  When he thought of never being able to see Erra's smile again, much like he would never see that look of earnest belief on Akane's face, or the full-fledged happiness that Kagari would sometimes emanate, pain flared through his chest. 

Sighing out his immense frustration, he gingerly took her frail hand in his and caressed it with his thumb. It was cold to the touch after losing so much blood, so he rubbed it briefly between his own hands in an effort to warm her. Ginoza leaned back in the uncomfortable chair and tried to relax, keeping his fingers wrapped around her thin, cool hand.

Kamiya groaned softly and breathed out a word that Ginoza couldn’t decipher. The sudden speaking on her part caused Gino to lean forward in case she said something else. She did. Her voice sounding strangled with pain, she called out her dead husband’s name, “Ren.” Ginoza’s eyebrows furrowed, and his chest felt tight.

 _Idiot_ he scolded himself. He let go of her hand, feeling like he had pushed his way in somewhere he wasn’t needed or welcomed. As Kamiya’s hand was released she sighed and her body seemed to relax. Again, Ginoza read it as a sign that he had been unnecessarily burdening her.

Then it came. Affirmation that he mattered. Affirmation that she thought of him in this moment. Though the sound was hushed, it was a gift, like sweet, thickened honey as it dripped from her lips. Though still asleep, Kamiya’s voice seemed at ease as she softly uttered, “Nobuchika.”

Ginoza felt a strange elation at the informal use of his first name. Each syllable had sounded like her gentle music. Taking Kami’s hand in his once more, he brought the back of it to rest on his own cheek and whispered against it.

“I’m here, Erra. I’m right here. I’ll stay as long as you need.” Still not waking, her hand instinctively gave Ginoza’s a light squeeze. It fortified his nerve, and he settled in to guard his partner from further harm. Leaning back in his chair, fingers laced with Kami’s, Ginoza replayed her voice calling his name over again and again until at last, he was calm.

 

*******

Yayoi looked into Mina’s bedroom and what she saw made her pause, lips unable to suppress a smile. She couldn’t let something like this go unnoticed. Walking to the crowd of other people in Mina’s common room, Yayoi placed her hand on Masaoka’s shoulder to get his attention and motioned for him to follow. The others barely noticed as the two of them walked back towards Mina’s room.

As Yayoi stopped in the doorway again, she watched with glee as Masaoka’s eyes widened in disbelief. Smiling a crooked smile, the harried old detective whispered, “Well, I’ll be damned. I never thought I’d live to see something like that.”

Yayoi agreed with a nod of her head and slipped her arm into Masaoka’s, enjoying the odd little scene.

Inspector Kamiya was hooked up to an IV and asleep on Mina’s bed. Next to her, in a wooden chair, Inspector Ginoza sat with his head slumped forward, sleeping heavily despite a most uncomfortable position. A glance at their hands told Yayoi and Masaoka what they needed to know. Though Gino’s hand had relaxed in his sleep, Kami’s still rested loosely atop it and his fingers remained slightly curled towards hers.

It was obvious to the pair of peeping enforcers, that Inspector Ginoza had lowered his constant guard and fallen asleep holding this woman’s frail hand. He refused to leave her side even though he had clearly been exhausted by his stress and needed a rest. Yayoi thought Masaoka must be practically giggling inside at the sight of his stubborn and hardened son treating anyone at all with such gentleness.

Yayoi patted his prosthetic hand and grinned up at him. He mouthed, “Thank you,” to her for taking the time to show him his son’s kindness, and she nodded. She returned to the others, her own heart delighted at the out-of-place Ginoza sharing a moment of tenderness. Perhaps there was hope for the icy Inspector, yet.

She kissed Shion and smiled at her, glad to have someone of her own after such a heartwarming scene. Relaxing back on the couch, she only peeked over her shoulder once to glimpse Masaoka. He still stood staring contently at his son napping peacefully with a woman by his side.

 

*******

When Tetsuo finally made his way to Mina, he wasn't surprised to find Kougami. It did surprise him to see the enforcer outside the room rather than in it. Kougami was leaning against the wall, opposite the door, smoking, even though the area had plenty of signs touting that the act was forbidden. A single glance at the man's posture and frown told Tetsuo many things, foremost of which was that Kougami was angry and that he was struggling with that anger. Tetsuo didn't know much about what was going on, but he could take a good guess as to why Kou was looking at the door as though he wanted to chew through it.

Keeping his face as impassive as possible he cast a glance Kougami's way and put his hand to the control panel for the door, but before it opened he heard a grumbled, “Kamiya?”

“She's going to be okay. It will take a while for her to heal completely, but she's stable. It could have been much worse.” He looked over his shoulder, and as suspected, Kou had his eyes narrowed in that way he had when he was trying to puzzle something out.

When he was certain that Kou wasn't going to say anything else, Tetsuo tapped the no smoking sign on the wall, and then pressed down on the panel to enter the room.

Mina was on the couch, facing away from the door. She hissed when he turned on a few of the lights. He had only caught a glimpse of her, because Kamiya had needed all of his attention, but now he was seeing that she was in worse shape than he had thought.

She finally looked his way when he sat beside her. She smelled like sweat, dirt, and rain.  

“Hey Chibi-chan. You look like you got in a fight with a mound of dirt,” he said, but he was smiling. He hadn't realized how relieved he would be to see her until that moment.

When she opened her mouth to retort he placed three of his fingers against her lips. “Don't go talking just yet. I want to get a good look at your throat to make sure it's safe.”

With a nod of her head, he slowly brought his hands up to feel around the bruised area of her neck. She winced a little and her eyes watered, but otherwise she held still. After looking down her throat, he came to the conclusion that Mina was one of the luckiest people alive. “If the person who did this to you had been squeezing just an inch higher, you might have been looking at permanent damage or even death.”

Tetsuo had to pause for a moment with that realization. He was full of anger for the bastard that had been so close to completely crushing Mina’s windpipe and keeping him from ever seeing Mina again that he wanted to scream…but he wasn’t about to add to Mina’s already heavy load of stress. With a deep breath, he said, “I can give you a steroid shot to help with the swelling and pain, but it will hurt like a bitch.”

She nodded and looked down at her very dirty hands.

“It looks like you took a hit to the head. Do you think you have a concussion?” He felt confident asking for her opinion on the matter. Mina was very in tune with her own body, and unfortunately had been in his care, with a concussion, multiple times.

She didn't look up when she shrugged her shoulders.

“Okay.  So, guess I will be checking for a concussion,” he grumbled.   
  
Tetsuo was annoyed at her lack of response and what it meant.  She was blaming herself, like usual.  He couldn't help but feel the extreme irritation.  He thought to himself, whether she had a concussion or not, he would tell Kougami to use it as a means to keep her awake until they got their answers.  If she didn't cooperate, there was a good chance Ginoza would have her carted away in the night...or worse.

He rummaged around in his bag, looking for the various things that had been swiped from the med ward that Shion _thought_ they might need. As he searched for the cortisone shot he had mentioned, Mina grabbed his free hand and squeezed it. Tetsuo looked up, but still wasn’t able to catch her downcast eyes.

“I have to ask. What the hell happened to you two this evening?” He closed his hand around a vial of exactly what he needed.

Mina shook her head. Tetsuo could tell she was trying not to cry, but he was still frustrated. He worried maybe she didn’t trust him like he thought she did.

“Can you tell me why you two went so far off the grid?” He drew up the liquid into the syringe, hoping to receive at least one answer from her, busying himself in case he didn’t.

“I can't...” Mina's voice cracked, whether from emotion or her injury, he could not tell. “I know everyone is mad, and they have a right to be, but you have to know, I would have never knowingly put Erra in danger like that. I...”

Guilt was curling her in on herself. Seki knew enough about Mina to know that guilt was something she carried with her, always. He didn't always know what for, but he did know she let it cripple her. She was more susceptible to it than anyone he had ever met.

“You're an idiot Mina, if you think that I would even consider the idea of you purposefully hurting Kamiya.”

“I promise I have a good reason Tet.” Her voice was now a whisper. “You have to know...”

“I do know. You don't have to explain that to me.”

“The others...Kou...” She whimpered a little bit, clearly holding in a sob.

The mention of his rival’s name caused obvious displease on Seki’s face. “If he really thinks that you would do that then the damned so-called genius is a moron.”

The problem was that Tetsuo was sure that Kou _wasn't_ positive of Mina's innocence. He knew it, and so did Mina. Seki had to admit to himself that it _did_ look bad. The whole situation looked really bad, especially where Mina was concerned…but not for a second did Tet doubt Mina’s honesty.

“I don't know what I'm going to do when he comes in. I know he's really mad. He’s not going to believe me.” She wiped at her face, smearing the tears and dirt on her cheeks.  

He held up the syringe and waited until Mina nodded before administering the shot. She made a small sound when the needle pierced her skin, gripping tightly into Tetsuo’s free forearm.

“I could ban him from the room. Doctor's orders. I locked the door behind me, and I don't have to unlock it,” he smiled when she did, feeling good that he’d at least lightened her thoughts for a moment.

Tetsuo meant every word, though. The last thing she needed was to be harassed by Kougami. The needle was removed, and Mina visibly sagged. When she released her hold on his arm, Tetsuo winced a bit over the line of half-moons her nails had left on his skin.

As though he knew they were talking about him, they heard the door denying access, and then Kougami knocking loudly on the door.

“Let him in,” Mina sighed, rubbing uncomfortably at the injection site.

“No. I don't want to.” It was childish, but Tetsuo didn’t care. He’d had enough of the whole damn day and he didn’t want any more drama, especially if he could shield Mina from a bit.

Kougami yelled for them to “open the damned door!”

“Tet. I appreciate the concern, but... you need to let him in. Promise me you won't interfere. Just let him say what he needs to say. He has a right to be angry.” She was squeezing his hand again, voice still somewhat strangled, waiting for the steroid to take effect. “Promise me?”

“Fine.” He really did not want to agree.

She brought her hand up and tugged on his hair. “Thank you. It means a lot to me that you believe me.”

“I'm staying in here, though. I still have to check for a concussion, and I'm sure there are other injuries, and if he gets too out of line, I can't promise to keep my mouth shut.” Without waiting for her response, he opened the door and let Kou storm his way in.

“Why'd you lock the door?” Kougami aimed the question at Tetsuo over his shoulder, keeping his eyes on Mina.

“Doctor patient confidentiality,” he said as cheerily as possible.

Kougami looked at him like he was crazy, and turned his attention back to Mina.

The nurse went back to the couch and continued looking over Mina's wounds noting her quickened breath.  

 

********

Kougami was angry. Angry wasn’t a strong enough word. Kougami was absolutely livid, and on top of that, his face and shoulder were really aching by now. To be honest, he was surprised that Gino had been able to land a punch at all. His best friend had never been much good at fist fights. Shinya wasn’t angry about fighting with Ginoza, though. He was actually mildly impressed that there was anything his friend felt so passionately about. Instead, he was furious at the catalyst for the scuffle in the first place.

Mina.  

Kougami felt completely betrayed by the young enforcer. He thought maybe he had earned, at least, a sliver of her trust after everything they had experienced, but that was obviously a naïve assessment on his part. Shinya prided himself on reading people, on his skills as a profiler. He didn’t know what made it so difficult for him to peg Mina, but that in itself still caused him great irritation. Kou could not decide if it was the enormous chemistry and attraction that clouded his judgment or if there was something else entirely. He worried that perhaps he had misjudged her from the start…that she didn’t belong on their team at the CID. No matter what unique skills she possessed, it wasn’t worth people losing their life or complete deceit on her part. He couldn't fathom a good enough reason to be this secretive while putting Erra and herself in danger.

They certainly didn’t need another member of Division One that was as reckless as Kougami had been in the past. He knew how that ended. His insides churned as he recalled Akane’s face, eyes staring blankly towards the late evening sky, body stilled forever.

Shinya glared at Mina with his stony gray gaze as Tetsuo tried to calm her and check over her injuries. It was clear that she had been strangled forcefully with large hands. The finger shaped bruises were unmistakable. Cuts and bruises covered her, and she was caked in mud. Despite all of that, Mina used the strained voice she still had to ask when she could see Kamiya. No one would offer her answers because none of them knew how the inspector had ended up in her current condition. Frustrated tears poured down Mina’s filthy cheeks.

Kougami found himself almost wanting to slug her for her selfish misadventure and at the same time, he wanted to have her alone, gently tending her wounded body and ego. He scowled at himself over the thought. Kougami had never had any intention of developing deeper feelings with any woman; certainly not this deceptive, confusing pain in the ass.

“I’ll ask again. What happened? Never mind the ‘why,’ at this point. Just tell me how the two of you ended up like this.” His words came out through gritted teeth.  

“I have to talk to Erra first.”  Her voice was almost gone completely.  There was no doubt in his mind that the person who did this had been trying to kill her.  

He watched as Seki shined a small pen light into the woman's crystal blue eyes.

“I don't know if Ginoza is going to let you do that.  He’s pissed. We’re all pissed. For all we know, _you_ hurt her.”  Kou was pretty sure that wasn't the case, but watching her offended reaction made him feel better.

“It wasn't me, you prick!”  If she could have yelled, she would have.    

There wasn't a lie there, so he was satisfied, at the very least, that she had not personally attacked the newest inspector. 

Out of habit, he attempted to light a cigarette, but Tetsuo snatched it quickly from his fingers and snapped it in two. “What the hell is wrong with you? She’s been strangled nearly to death, you moron. It shouldn’t be this difficult for you to understand. No smoking!”

Seki was clearly angry about more than just the cigarette, though Kougami knew he was right. It was incredibly stupid on his part to light up around Mina right now.

Still, he glared harshly at Tetsuo as he said, “Okay, so you didn't attack Erra. Why the hell were you out there, Min? Why keep it a secret? You should know by now we won't throw her under the bus.” 

“I know,” she affirmed, with a marked look of disappointment on her face that made Kou feel more than a little guilty at having purposefully singled out Kamiya as the only true team member. 

“So why?” he prompted. Now wasn’t the time to be making exceptions for her based on his emotions.

 “I...” she started, but a coughing fit left her in tears.

Tetsuo, uncharacteristically quiet, grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and urged her to drink, before sitting back down and looking over a particularly nasty scrape on Mina's wrist.  

“You were saying?” She was going to answer the damned question if he had to shake it out of her.  

The little brunette used her free hand to grab a sweater from the top of the bag she had been clutching.  Shinya had attempted to take the duffel from her, but that had ended when Seki smacked him in the back of the head and told him to leave the patient alone.   

Kougami was very close to losing his patience with the nurse.

As it was, the sweater, obviously meant for a much larger male, was pressed against Mina’s chest in a loving gesture.  “I have a good reason. I promise.”

What the hell kind of reason was good enough to keep it a secret from him? Every time she declined to answer, it felt like another personal attack on how she really saw Kougami…like he was an idiot for thinking the two of them had a special connection and trusted one another.

Kou felt his lips pull into a feral grimace as he cruelly spat, “I can't think of a single damned reason that you could possibly need to keep this all to yourself.  Maybe you _are_ just being selfish, like Gino said.  Maybe you just used Erra to get that stupid fucking bag. Maybe the only reason you joined our division at all is because you saw an opportunity to use us.”

Nakamura's voice was stronger now, though it was still cracked and broken as she spoke. “You don't know what you are talking about, Kougami.”  She stood up, shook off Tetsuo, and charged into his space. “I don't think you have a right to judge me until you do, and maybe you should stop assuming that...”  Her eyes went glassy and unfocused. Mina shook her head, as though that would clear the dizziness, but she still toppled forward.  

Instinctively, arms came up to catch her.  Arms around her for the first time all day, nearer than he had dared to stand since they returned, Kou was able to see just how bad she looked in close proximity.  The shivering from her body clearly came from the soaked clothing, which he now wondered why the hell she was still wearing.  There were not just bruises around her neck, but also deep nail marks left dug into her flesh where the attacker strangled her. Whoever it was hadn’t only been trying to choke her, they had been trying to sever her spine with bare hands. 

 _What kind of monster could do this?_ Kougami wondered, even more curious now about how they had managed to escape this perpetrator.

Seeing Mina’s injuries up close, Kou was ashamed for having accused her of harming Inspector Kamiya. He was amazed that Mina had managed to get the woman back at all in the condition the both of them had been found. He vowed silently to make sure she at least got her credit for that.

As Mina’s head lolled, Kougami shook her shoulders gently. “Hey,” he spoke softly. “Mina, you can’t sleep right now. You have a concussion, right? Mina. Hey.” 

He looked over to Seki for confirmation. The ex-surgeon looked like he wanted to take Mina right out of Kou’s arms, but he refrained, probably aware now wasn’t a good time to let rivalry interfere. Instead, Seki only nodded his head. “She _has_ to stay awake, Kougami. Unless you want to chance a coma, keep her as coherent as you can.”

He hated himself, but getting her riled up was the only way he knew he could hold Mina’s attention. “Hey. Do you want Ginoza to take you back to a facility? You saw how pissed he was. Get up and tell me something I can use.”

Nakamura blinked rapidly and stood straighter, steadying herself on Shinya’s forearms. “I didn’t mean it, Kou,” the battered enforcer replied, voice improving slowly. “I didn’t know this would happen, I swear.  I know Kami knows that. I have to see her before Ginoza drags me out of here.”

Shinya again felt his guilt bubbling up. He was fine with things the way they were, he didn’t need any more emotional attachments to anyone. Caring for people got in his way. “Just stay awake, would you? Give me something to tell him so he doesn’t lose his shit again. You gotta help me help you here, Min. I have _no_ idea what’s going on.”

Her light eyes welled up again and all she could answer was, “I’m sorry. I _can’t_ tell you. I owe her. It has to be Erra before anyone. Please don’t let him take me back, Kougami. Please.”

She was looking at him with that damn vulnerability again, being honest and bare without saying anything, and he wanted to shake her and tell her to cut it out. Instead, Kougami clutched her into a tight hug. It made him smile that she was momentarily her usual obstinate self and tried to pull away before giving in and relaxing against his chest.

He spoke quietly and comfortingly against her disastrously mussed hair, “Then you just have to stay awake, Min. Don’t give in right here and let yourself die. Stay awake, and you have my word. No one is taking you anywhere. Not Gino. Not Erra. Not even Chief Kasei. Not anyone.”

 

********

Erra’s mind gradually became aware that she was still alive. She felt like complete shit. _No,_ she thought. It was more like whatever a pile of shit could shit out, piss on, and then light on fire… that was Erra. Grimacing with her eyes still closed, she was more than a little surprised that she wasn’t dead yet. At least, she hoped she wasn’t.

Noticing the feel of soft linens around her body, Kami wrenched open her teal eyes. The light felt blinding, even though it was dim. She wasn’t sure where she was laying or how she had gotten here, but immediately Erra’s mind filled with worry as she recalled her struggling enforcer fighting hard to bring the injured Inspector to safety.

“Mina,” she tried to say but nothing came out. She tried again and a hoarse whisper managed to escape. “Mina, where are you?”

Kami heard a sharp intake of air through someone’s nose and felt her hand grasped gently by long, slender masculine fingers. Turning her head, she saw Inspector Ginoza, blinking rapidly to adjust to his surroundings. She blushed slightly at his tender touch, but her mind was still focused on the missing brunette. Softly, she asked, “Where’s Mina?”

Ginoza leaned towards her to better hear Kami’s cracking voice. His green eyes seemed desperate to confirm that his partner was alright. “You’re awake?” he questioned anxiously.

Though not quite sure ‘awake’ was an accurate assessment, Erra nodded her head. It had been very little movement, still it sent a jolt of pain through her whole body. She winced again, wishing for more powerful pain medication than whatever she was on now. Erra paused before cautiously cracking one eye open again.

“Mina?” she repeated, voice growing clearer each time she spoke.

Ginoza’s eyes flashed deadly at the mention of Mina’s name, but if Erra had blinked, she would have missed it completely. “It’s ok,” he started. “She’s here. You’re both safe for now.”

“Where’s here?” Kamiya asked as she touched her free hand to her bandaged abdomen. She noticed an IV line had been inserted into that hand and wondered who had treated her wounds. Glancing at a small tube protruding from her chest, she gathered hazy memories of Nurse Seki jamming a syringe into her earlier.

“The Enforcer dormitories. Mina’s apartment,” Gino responded with his eyebrow raised.

Kami gasped and choked out, “Are you fucking crazy? What kind of plan is this?! I thought Pops would have a much better idea than this bullcrap! I say ‘no hospital’ so we come right to Sybil’s front door?”

“That’s what I said,” stated Ginoza. He seemed pleased that Kami’s incredulity at their team’s gall matched his own. He continued, “It seems to have panned out for now, so don’t get too wound up. You’re in no condition to go on a rampage.”

As she calmed herself, Erra realized she was terribly thirsty. “Is there any water around?” she questioned hopefully.

Gino nodded and walked to the end of the bed where a short chest of drawers sat. He lifted a pitcher that Yayoi had brought earlier, drenched in its own condensation, and poured the water into a waiting glass. As he returned to Kamiya’s side to hand her the drink, he responded, “It’s not very cold at this point, I’m afraid.”

Erra hadn’t even waited for him to finish before the water was gone and she was handing him the glass again. “More, please.”

Nobuchika smiled a barely there smile and adjusted his glasses before fetching Erra’s refill. She quickly drained this one as well and had been so careless that water had dribbled from the cup down her face and chest. She took a grateful gasp for air and Gino shook his head at the amusing sight.

“Careful you don’t drown yourself,” he commented as he used the sides of his hands to flick away the water on her skin. Kami’s breath hung in her chest as he said, “Losing you once was quite enough.”

Her blue-green eyes widened and so did Gino’s as he realized what he’d said. He quickly covered his tracks with, “The bureau can’t afford to be down another Inspector so soon.”

His face was flat and unreadable but his chest heaved slightly harder than usual. Erra allowed him to save face by offering a simple nod and smile. She watched him for a moment more and then teasingly moved his glasses to the tip of his nose and pouted, “No need to be so serious, Nobuchika.” He flinched at his name and Erra rolled her eyes and smiled at his frustration.

As her face returned to solemn, she added, “Ginoza, I really need to see Mina. Please. Will you send her to me?”

“Are you going to explain to me what’s going on?” he questioned, voice beyond concerned.

“Not until after I’ve seen Mina,” Kami replied. “I’m sorry, Gino. I’m afraid _I’m_ not even sure myself what went on.”

The stern man nodded slowly, and again his eyes flashed dangerously. Erra was certain he was blaming the enforcer for the whole mess. His general appearance told her not to press him over it for now. Despite looking like he would rather do _anything_ else, he stood to retrieve the newest Enforcer. His partner had requested it and Erra saw that he was determined to make that happen.

Before he could take a step, she grabbed his hand and tugged on it, urging him to sit on the side of the bed. “Just a minute,” she started. He sat and she tried to prop herself up. “Don’t make that face, ok? I know that look of yours. I _have_ to get my answers from Mina. I have to and it has to be in private…” Her concerned partner turned his head and frowned deeply. She put her palm lightly against his cheek and turned his face back to her, enjoying the look it caused on his face. “Nothing has changed, Gino. You are still the person I trust above all others, understand?”

His face felt so warm to her touch and she smiled tenderly as he leaned into her hand slightly while nodding. The opposite side of his face was a wreck, but she decided it was better not to comment on that now.

“And I need you to trust me, Inspector,” Kamiya added. “Can you trust me?”

He took the hand from his face and held it in his lap as he said, “Don’t be ridiculous, Kami. Of course I trust you. I’ll get Nakamura and I’m not going to question your reasons again…for now, at least.”

Erra leaned forward and placed a swift kiss to her partner’s cheek, landing it partially to his swollen lips. “Thank you,” she said, trying to contain the fact that the little contact had sent a jolt of excitement through her. She wanted more, and she could see that her partner was thinking the same. Neither was brave enough to make that move, and both of them studied one another a few moments more before he got up to fetch the enforcer.

When he reached the door, Erra’s voice stopped him again. “Ginoza, how long did you wait with me in that chair?”

“We all took turns,” he said hastily, letting her know that wasn’t the truth of the matter.

“That’s not what I asked, Gino,” Erra said, voice holding a touch of taunting.

“I don’t know, Kami! A while,” he paused. Erra watched his expression grow mortified as he admitted, “The whole time. I— Tch! Do you want me to get Nakamura, or not?” His green eyes flashed with irritation beneath his glasses.

Kamiya smiled softly and nodded, watching him sulk out of the room. She took notice as he left of the complete wreck he was. His shirt was all but hanging off of him, torn in several places. His right cheek and neck had been scuffed and scraped. His lip was swollen, eye darkened, and his eyes had been red with exhaustion. His hair had still been damp from the storm outside. Erra had missed whatever led to this, but she was clever enough to know that Ginoza had gotten himself that torn up over her.

Closing her eyes to wait for Mina, she brought the fingers that Gino had been clutching up against her lips and kissed the sensation that still lingered in them.

 

********

Nakamura despised how much calmer it had made her feel when Kougami had promised not to let anyone take her back to rehab. The gesture was so sincere and exactly what she needed to hear that it seemed unreal. Allowing it to comfort her was something she hadn’t wanted. It meant that she trusted him, and that the thing between them was becoming a beast that she really didn't want to face.

Whether she wanted it or not, Kou had stayed and was sitting close beside her on the couch. Adding to Mina’s annoyance was his ability to still look sexy while being mussed all to hell. The fact that he didn’t seem to notice his left eye was nearly swollen shut was driving her crazy.

Mina would have given her left _and_ right arm for sleep.  The adrenaline high that had fueled her thus far had crashed.  Now, all the aches and pains previously ignored were making their presence known in an epic way. Seki had not offered a strong enough painkiller because then there would be no keeping her awake, but Kou was at least grateful that the doctor had provided her with a corticosteroid shot that seemed to ease the swelling in her throat, telling Kou she might be able to _almost_ speak normally once it took full effect.

As it was, the enforcer's brain was coming up with creative ways to get back at Kougami when she regained her strength.  Tet had charged the man with keeping her awake before excusing himself for much deserved sleep, and Kou was taking the job way too seriously.  Every single time her eyelids showed the first sign of drooping he would yell, poke, prod, and even, one time, press against one of her many bruises.  The smirk he donned when she lashed out was infuriating.  He was treating it like an amusing game.  

This time, Shinya had decided to keep her cognizant via taunting, asking, “Exactly how did the car make it back in one piece?”  

A low grumbling sound was the only thing she could muster in response.  He had a good point, even if she didn't want to admit it.  The ride home had been frightening, and she again thanked the stars that Erra had been unconscious for the better part of it.  Otherwise, her only female friend would probably have had an aneurism.  

“Did you really just growl at me?” he questioned, with an irritatingly handsome smirk. 

“Tch. ‘ _Mockery is the weapon of those who have no other_ ,’” Mina quoted.

“Hm. Citing Pieriot with a concussion. I have to say, I’m impressed.”  He was smiling, and it was devastating.  

They fell into a silence that could only have been a couple of seconds, but it was enough to make her eyes close, chasing repose.

Nakamura's eyes flew open with the feel of his calloused fingers rubbing harshly at the scrape on her wrist. 

“You ass,” she squeaked, vocal cords still quite swollen.  She retaliated by sending her left hand out to smack him. He blocked gently, which Mina had expected, because her right hand shot up and pushed into the bruise on his cheekbone.  Her condition made her weak, which made it no issue for him to stop the action.  

He sucked air in through his teeth. “That hurt,” he replied with a false pout.  

“Oh are we playing fair now?” Mina wheezed.

The door behind them creaked open, and both turned to see a disheveled Ginoza.  Laughing would not have been wise, but it was so unlike him to be unkempt that Mina had to struggle to suppress the urge she felt.  When he turned his scuffed face and looked up at her, that urge vanished.  

The stare he leveled at her should have killed on sight as he stated vehemently, “She wants to see you now, Hound 4.”

Immediately Mina rose to stand, and to her surprise so did Kougami with a waiting hand out, just in case she fell.  She tried to ignore the gentle gesture, but it was difficult just now. Especially with the way the other man in the room looked like he wanted to strangle her again.  

The green-eyed inspector lifted up a hand. It was clear that Ginoza didn’t feel like dropping his anger even if Erra _had_ asked for Nakamura. He sneered, “Wait. I didn't say I was going to let you see her.”

“You can't—” she started.

“Yes,” he interrupted firmly. “I can, and I should.  I should send you out of here right now. I can go in there and tell her that you just ran away.”

“She won’t believe that,” Mina whispered.

The inspector pulled an exasperated expression, letting Mina know that Gino was aware Erra would never tolerate him getting rid of the enforcer without learning the truth.  Still angry and trying to find something to control, Gino responded, “No. She won’t. She’s too lenient with you.” His voice was on edge, as he added, “Whatever you tell her—whatever happened, for whatever reason… you should consider yourself sacked as part of this team.”  

Tears welled. He could do whatever he wanted as long as he allowed her to see her friend. Mina felt like she deserved his hateful words. She began drawing inward as she pictured how close to death Kamiya really was on the pavement.  

“Kami asked for her?” Shinya interrupted the tension. “I thought you were the kind of Inspector that helped out your partner, Gino.” he continued. The aggressive eye contact between the two men made Mina extremely uncomfortable.

The inspector snipped, “Don't call me Gino, Enforcer Kougami. I--”

“Listen.  She obviously doesn't feel that Mina is a threat,” he paused. “You should pay attention to that, Inspector Ginoza.”  The formal name came out sarcastic.  

They glared at each other.  Whatever was passing between them was deeper than the argument at hand.  Anyone would have been able to see.  

Finally, Gino spat to the side, “Fine, but one wrong move, Nakamura...”  He didn't finish the threat.  He walked out the door, not even waiting for her to catch up.  Mina hurried toward her room, Kougami following right behind her.  

Seconds later, they filed into Mina's bedroom.  Erra was sitting up.  She looked alert, and most certainly better than the last time Nakamura had seen her. Her voice was strong, all things considered.  “You two… get out.”

Her partner opened his pouting mouth to argue, but a raise of Kamiya's hand stopped him.  

“Don’t, Inspector. I want to be alone with Mina.  Ginoza, use your head. She never would have driven me back to you, of all people. She’s afraid of you!”

Mina’s eyes shot to the Inspector she knew hated her. Ginoza’s eyes widened. His scolding from Kamiya seemed to put him in his place. He grimaced at Nakamura, but then she swore his glance turned to shame.

Mina was impressed, and Erra added, “That means you too, Kougami.  Out of here.  Now.”  

Gino's eyes narrowed, but he laid the lightest of touches on Kou's arm and the pair walked out.  The gesture was obviously subconscious, but its significance was not lost on Mina.  Those two men cared deeply for each other, despite their vast differences.   

As the men exited, Mina immediately took the chair that Ginoza had been using and grabbed a hold of Erra's hand.  She was happy to see the inspector and a few relieved tears slipped down Mina’s cheek.  Her friend was going to be okay. She looked rough—bruised, swollen, bandaged, makeshift IV, exhausted-- but she was going to be okay.  

Erra lifted a scraped eyebrow, wincing and then grinning as she said to her worried friend, “You look like hell, you know?”

 

**_To Be Continued…_ **

 


	23. Truths and Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, members of Division One begin to learn who Mina really is and where she has come from. As taxing as it is for Mina to share about her past and her family with these Sybil-raised people, she knows it's now the only option left to her if she wants to discover the truth. Erra demands she not be the only one who knows Mina's secret, and Mina is afraid that Kou will start pushing her away once he realizes how much of an outsider she really is.

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: Truths and Revelations  
  
** “You look like hell,” Erra said, eyebrow raised.    
  
The laugh that erupted from the enforcer's throat hurt.   Mina was glad to see Erra smiling back momentarily, aware and okay enough to make the ironic joke, though Mina knew the mood was still tense.    
  
“You need to come clean,” Kamiya said with a pained whimper as she adjusted in the bed, followed by stuttered hisses of air through her clenched teeth.

Mina felt the weight of guilt once again.  This was her fault.  She owed Erra a complete explanation, and she was going to give her as much information as she could.  “Would you like for me to start from the beginning?”  
  
The look Kamiya gave Mina implied it was a stupid question— that of course, she expected no less.    
  
“I am not from Tokyo,” Mina deadpanned, hoping to at least keep the mood friendly.  
  
“No shit.  Tell me something I couldn’t have figured out just from your damn accent.”  
  
Mina, while annoyed at her friend's heavy sarcasm, found it comforting that Kamiya was able to still give her a hard time.    
  
“Actually, wait, one thing first.  The guy who attacked us... should I be worried about a disease or some sort of contagion?  That guy looked almost like he was decomposing,” she asked, genuinely worried.  Mina could see the concern in the way Erra’s teal eyes almost seemed to quiver.  
  
“I’m almost positive you’re not in danger of contracting anything,” Mina said, as she laid a comforting hand on her friends shoulder.  “It isn’t anything contagious.  The way he looked and acted were identical to something I’ve seen before—although to a much more advanced degree.  He looked like he was on a drug called Krokodil that was becoming a major problem amongst my people.  It’s an old drug, but somehow kept showing up in our communities.  It’s really nasty stuff, as you can imagine with side effects that severe, but I’ll explain more about that part later.”    
  
“A drug did all of that to him?  That’s terrifying, Mina.”  
  
“I agree.  I’m not sure where it was coming from to get into our villages, but we couldn’t find an inside source making the stuff.  It has ruined a lot of people’s lives.”  Mina sighed and rubbed at her face.  “I’m sorry you had to see that, Erra.”    
  
“I’m just glad it wasn’t some strange, outdated disease,” Erra said, letting out a breath. “So, you were about to tell me where you came from…”    
  
“I am... was… a part of a population that Sybil has no record of in its databanks.  At least, if it does, it’s something it allows, although for what reason, I couldn’t say.  Whole families of us live completely outside the system, moving through the mountains to avoid detection.  The village we went to in the foothills is just one of the many places we stay throughout the year.  We— _my people_ call ourselves Unregistereds.”  
  
Kamiya sat up a little higher, obviously curious.  She opened her mouth like she was going to ask a question, but closed it immediately, deciding to wait, for which  
  
Mina was grateful.  It would be hard enough to get through such an explanation on her own.    
  
Taking a deep breath and clenching her fists together to try to steel her nerves, Mina continued.  “This is, of course, the short version.  It would take ages to give you all of it, and you really should be resting.”  
  
Erra scoffed.  “Look who’s talking,” she muttered.  
  
Mina shrugged, continuing, “When Sybil first started, many of the people, mostly immigrants, were reticent.  As they tell it, they felt like a computer would be ruling their life and couldn't stand for that, not one that had the authority to dictate whether they lived or died.  So, when people were shuffled into more densely populated groups and everyone was ordered to the bigger cities, they ran.”  
  
Mina paused.  Telling the story reminded her of her parents, the way they had recounted running with their very small children.  It was such a familiar tale for her, but knowing her parents were already gone was painful.  
  
“I am part of the first generation raised in post-Sybil Japan completely without the Sybil System.  Never, until I woke up inside the rehab facility, had I ever had a psycho-pass reading or anything similar, at all.”  
  
“Mina!  You’re joking.  That’s supposed to be impossible,” Erra exclaimed.  
  
“Why would I joke about this?  You saw for yourself.  You know it’s possible now, don’t you?” Mina questioned, feeling a little worked up by the innocent accusation.  
  
After several silent seconds, with a look on her face like the inspector had been slapped hard, Kamiya nodded her acceptance.  
  
Feeling calmer already, Mina continued, “We are nomads in the mountains there, always moving to make sure we’re always hard to find.   At first, it was such a motley crew of several hundred people fleeing the threat of war that the Unregistereds weren’t sure we could form a cohesive group.  But with so many, we had access to a multitude of knowledge and skills.  Our diversity was our biggest strength.    
  
“Brazilian immigrants, originally brought in country to reinforce the Japanese hard labor force, turned out to be excellent at hiding crops.  Some of our Russian families taught us to hunt.  At some point, a few found a way to smuggle basic tech from the cities, and we grew technologically.  Someone took time to figure a way to steal power, running the lines underground to a few of our outskirt settlements.    
  
“That's why technology is sometimes so hard for me to grasp.  If it wasn’t something we had managed to steal, it wasn't something I learned.”    
  
“That already explains so much, Mina.  It’s so hard to understand all of this but you being so calm and concise makes it seem less daunting,” Kamiya said.  She reached out to squeeze Mina’s hand, making the enforcer feel so much better.  Kamiya still being comforting, offering moments that felt like real friendship, meant more than anything to Mina, and there was no way to convey that.    
  
Erra was looking at her, searching, probably trying to make certain Mina wasn’t on the verge of a breakdown…maybe trying to hunt for any hint of a lie.  It was difficult for Mina to read what the redhead was really thinking, but Mina knew Kamiya excelled at reading people, so she hoped it came across how serious Nakamura was about the whole thing.  The inspector was listening at least, and that was what was important for now.    
  
“Please go on, if you can,” Erra urged gently.  
  
Nodding, Mina said, “We formed a way of life for ourselves, a legal system, and above all, freedom from a computer system deciding our fates.  Unregistered people were happy, full of life…none of these scary facilities where you get locked away for something as simple as average depression.”  
  
Mina noted that Kamiya seemed to take particular interest in that idea, and she expected to be barraged with more questions once the inspector was fully healed.  For now however, Erra seemed determined to let Mina do almost all of the talking.  
  
“I know about the older ways of forensics, because my parents and grandparents taught me.  They were all scientists.  My grandmother actually worked in the forensics anthropology department for Tokyo’s police force…my dad, too, for a short time.”  Mina smiled at memories of curling in her grandparents laps and listening to them tell their stories.    
  
“I think the whole idea of the Sybil System bothered them initially because it took away the human element of science... if that makes any sense.  When my brother, Kishio, started getting into trouble more, he would try to make it up to me by stealing books he thought I’d love.  He basically stole an entire library and gave it to me by the time he...” Mina took a trembling breath and shook her head.  She didn’t have the strength to say the words right then, so she plowed forward without addressing that.  
  
“I obsessed over all the tomes that spoke of what my father and grandmother talked about.  That is why I know about reading the bones.  For some reason, that was my focus.  I loved the stories bones could tell.”    
  
Mina wasn’t sure if she had imagined the distressed look on Erra’s face or not, but it certainly wouldn’t have been a new experience for someone to find her passion more than a little _odd_.  Mina laughed as she said, “My brother used to make fun of me for being weird.”    
  
Kamiya huffed out a relieved sounding laugh, probably happy to know she wasn’t the only one who found the idea strange.  Erra calmly asked, “How did you get here?”  The inspector's teal eyes were full of speculation.  If Mina knew Kamiya as well as she thought, the inspector was already running endless likely scenarios in her head.    
  
“That’s where things get more difficult,” Mina admitted, not sure how much backstory would suffice, when she herself didn’t know everything.  Breathing deeply, she continued, “Someone with connections from Tokyo-proper managed to form a black market, where things were heavily traded.  My brother was very involved, and he was good at keeping the Sybilites from suspecting he was anything other than a fellow shady member of their society.  We gained a lot from that connection.  It was exciting to be able to expand our communities that way and we thought we were safe, but within a month people started to go missing.  In a community with only a few hundred people, you can imagine that things like that stand out immediately.  My family kind of became part of the law in the town.  So, when people started going missing, we decided to start photographing and keeping records on everyone in the group. ”  
  
“My brother, especially, became obsessed with finding out what was going on, and I’m ashamed to say that I was too involved with someone else to have given him much help.  After he was gone, I spent a lot of time not giving a shit about much of anything.    
  
“My boyfriend at the time…he encouraged that.  I can see that now.  He liked that I was so weak back then.”  Mina had to pause, because the memories were so poignant and painful.  “He...my boyfriend…he betrayed me.  I remember him sticking a syringe in me, and then nothing.”    
  
Her voice was thin again, so she stopped to drink more water, gulping it down along with her sudden urge to sob.  She could remember all of the warnings she’d been given by friends in her clan.  She could remember with great clarity the sheer panic she felt when looking at the needle and Brolin’s face with no time to react.  She shuddered at the image of Brolin’s demonic grin replaying in her mind.  
  
Erra said nothing but used her frail hand to reach to Mina’s hair, resting a comforting touch on her distraught friend’s head.  When Mina looked to her face, Erra looked genuinely troubled to hear what Nakamura had gone through before now.  It made Mina want to tear up again.  When was the last time she had a friend—a real friend like this?  It was before Brolin, of that much she was certain.    
  
“There is this blank spot in my memory after that…a _five year_ blank spot.  I remember waking up in rehab, but nothing in between that and the needle.  Three months later and Kou shows up with Ginoza, giving me my way to Division One.”  She smiled ruefully, glad to be rid of the facility, but still disturbed by not knowing where the five years had gone.  
  
“I know something terrible must have happened, because when I woke up, I had scars, a tattoo that I had never seen, and grey hair that wasn't there before.  I want to give up when I think about how much time is just missing.   _Why_ is it missing, you know?” Mina exclaimed.    
  
“Mina.  I have some techniques we might be able to try to help retrieve, at least some of your memories, when you’re ready of course,” Erra offered.  
When Mina looked at her skeptically, Kamiya quickly rushed out, “All noninvasive!  No drugs!  Just talk therapies, I swear.  I’ve been practicing from some older books and I would really like to see how those methods do.”  
  
Nakamura’s immediate reaction was to decline, but Erra looked so enthusiastic and hopeful that Mina found it difficult to just say no outright—especially after the mess she’d gotten them both into.  “No medications?  As long as it doesn’t involve my stupid ‘hue’ or ‘psycho-pass’ then we’ll see.  Okay?”  
  
Erra nodded, looking thrilled by the fact that she hadn’t received a hard no.  
  
“The whole point of all of _this_ ,” Mina said, gesturing firmly between the two of them at their various wounds, “is that I think everyone in that mass grave is an Unregistered.  What’s more, I think I can prove that by what’s in the bag we retrieved.”    
  
She pulled out a digital record album.  “This is my brother’s own personal record, the one I mentioned before.  Everyone in here is missing.  I’m willing to bet I can find data on them in this record that will show conclusively that every one of those bodies is a vanished Unregistered person.  I think that the mass graves are where someone has been putting my missing people.”    
  
She let her statement hang in the air, heavy and thick as it was, but she was actually feeling better after finally telling someone part of her truths.    
  
“You see why I can’t tell anyone, right?  If the chief or the Sybil System finds out, there is no hope for keeping our way of life that we held so dear…that my parents and so many others struggled for the right to have! I know it is hard to imagine, but all those people would become prisoners, Erra.  We come from a world without Sybil.  There is no one shoving drugs down your throat if you feel depressed or angry, no reasons to keep emotions in check, and stress.  We have to worry about food and shelter.  Granted, that is the price we pay.  We would rather worry than have to be a part of this.”  She gestured all around her.  “Rehab was hard, because the concept of being caged was unimaginable for me.  Even the children would likely be in a facility forever."  
  
Now Nakamura could no longer hold back her tears.  She was so stressed and somehow relieved and injured and exhausted and guilty and overwhelmed that she wasn’t even sure how she had held it together for this long, in the first place.    
  
Wildly, she began sobbing out an apology of sorts.  “I didn't want to be the end to my people.  That is why I was so secretive.  I swear, I never meant for it to come to this.  I knew it might be dangerous, but you have to know that I never thought for a second you could be _killed_ for coming along.  I was selfish, and I am so sorry that you had to pay for that…but…but you see why I—”    
  
Mina flinched as Kamiya leaned forward with an extremely pained grimace on her face, only to grab Mina’s shirt and pull her nearer for a comforting hug.  “ _Shh_.  Calm down, Mina.  You’re really going to destroy your vocal chords at this rate.  Calm down.  We’re okay.  Both of us...we're okay.”  There was a pause as Mina gulped for air, before Erra’s grip tightened again, as she said, “I understand why you kept it a secret.”    
  
Mina was pretty sure that the look on her face was one of confusion.  “How can you believe me just like that?  I thought you would hate...”  
  
“After what I saw today, how could I not believe you?  I am not going to be responsible for the annihilation of a full culture of people, Mina.”  The hand of Erra's not holding onto Mina ran through terribly mussed hair, as she seemed lost in thought for a moment.    
  
Mina’s eyes widened when Erra mumbled aloud, though she was still partially talking to herself, “You need to tell someone else, though.  If something happens to either of us, there needs to be someone else who knows all of this.”  
  
“Erra, I—“ but Mina wasn’t allowed to finish.  
  
“There’s a chance the two of us will be greatly punished after today’s events, if anyone other than our team saw us come in here.  Someone will have to have this information so it isn’t completely lost.  It shouldn't be Ginoza.  He can't handle something so drastic yet.  I know you probably don’t want to, but I’m afraid I will have to insist someone else on our team be able to help you with this.”  It was obvious the gears were turning in her mind, as Kamiya began formulating their next move…more than likely, their next several moves.  
  
“I don't know.  I've kept it to myself for so long...” Telling Erra had been one thing.  She had owed it to the inspector after nearly getting the woman killed, after all, but telling anyone else made her stomach tighten and her lungs constrict.  
  
However, Kamiya was already moving to her communication device, and before they could discuss it, she was calling Kougami back into the room.    
  
Shinya entered, looking nonchalant as ever, which kind of irritated Mina, all things considered.  He nodded at the two of them, “Min.  Inspector, you look a helluva a lot better than even an hour ago.  I guess Shion and Tetsuo really are skilled.”  Mina noticed Kougami seemed beyond annoyed to have to say something nice about Tet right now.  
  
“They certainly are.  And you stink,” her friend said with a hint of disdain.  “You were smoking in the hallway, weren’t you?”    
  
Kougami went from confident to sheepish as he admitted to his selfishness.    
  
Erra rolled her eyes.  “Never mind that, now.  Mina, you need to tell him everything that you told me.  Same way.  Start from the beginning, and Kou keep your questions to yourself for a while, got it?”  
  
“Whoa.  Someone’s feeling bossy.  You’ve been spending too much time with Gino, I think,” Kou mused.  
  
Erra raised an eyebrow and gave him a reprimanding glare, before turning to face Mina.  “Go ahead.  Tell him about your people.”    
  
Kamiya’s words were an order, true to her nature.  Mina swallowed, mentally trying to accept her fate, knowing that it would be difficult.  Telling Erra was hard in itself, but revealing it all to Kougami was... well, it was too much.  It would close that space she kept between them further, making this beast of tension an even more compact thing that may threaten to crush them both.   It was hard enough staying away from him when he knew nothing at all about her true self.    
  
Erra had the upper hand on this, though, and she knew it.  Maybe she was right, but that didn’t mean Mina had to like it.  
  
“Tell him just like you told me,” Erra repeated, firmly but gently.  The words were backed up with a light pat on Mina’s arm.  
  
Kou looked at Mina with that all-knowing, grey gaze that both drove her crazy and excited her, and she told her tale for the second time that night.    
  
Mina couldn't look at him for the majority of her story.  She was nervous about what kind of looks of disgust he might throw her way.  At one point, her voice was so strangled she had to stop, drinking more water to soothe her throat.  She chanced a brief look to find he was giving away no type of emotion at all right now.  Kougami just stared at her, waiting.    
  
After what seemed like months longer than it had taken to explain to Erra, Mina finished with, “and then Brolin drugged me.  After that, all I remember is rehab.  Five years are completely missing.  I know you probably think I’m lying about the whole thing, but I swear, Kou, it’s—”    
  
“And this Brolin?” he interrupted.  Mina still couldn't read the look on his face, which only worried her further.  Surely.  Surely he was done with her now that he knew how weak and useless she had been in her past.  He couldn’t want to continue on the way things were now that he knew that truth.    
  
“I don't know.  It doesn't matter,” she mumbled, casting her eyes on the floor.    
  
“ _Tch_ ,” he followed with a low growl.  Kougami seemed to think it did matter, but Mina was too exhausted and beat down to feel it was for any good reason.  Moving on, Kou asked, “So you think you can match up what we have on the bones from the grave to the pictures and information in your brother’s album?  Is that even possible?”    
  
“Yes and no.  Actually, it’s the pictures _and_ the stats that will do it.  My brother took as many people’s measurements as possible.  He also tried to save a written record of their dental work, which is the most important, at this point…things like chipped or filed teeth or gold fillings, etc.  Like I said, Kishio was completely obsessed with finding out what was happening to our people.”    
  
“How did your brother die?” Kou asked boldly.  It was uncanny, really, Kou’s ability to guess what was connected and what wasn’t after hearing only the bare minimum facts recounted just once.  
  
Mina swallowed, hating the instant, graphic mental image of Kishio’s broken and battered body.  “He was beaten to death…brutally…within sight of our village.  I’m almost positive it had something to do with his investigation, but I don’t know for sure.  I can’t really know for sure without more facts.  He was into a lot of stuff that could get him into that kind of trouble.  I was kind of hoping there might be more clues in this bag…” Mina trailed off, struggling to keep it together and keep Kishio’s image out of her mind.    
  
Shinya offered her no time to let the image settle in her mind.  “What’s the timeline of all the events here?  Your brother’s death in relation to when you were drugged…exactly when did the disappearances start...how heavily do you think this Brolin character was involved…what reason might your people be disappearing?  Black market?  Slavery?  Experimentation?  What’s the overall goal we’re looking at now?”  Kougami had gone into full blown investigator mode.  It was overwhelming for Mina, who was having trouble putting her thoughts together to begin with, although it was true that her mind didn’t have a chance to settle into a place of darkness, closing everything in on herself.    
  
Luckily, Erra jumped in.  “Kougami, let her be.  Those are all valid and excellent questions.  I have many more questions myself, but it can wait.  Those are questions for later.”  
  
Shinya shut his mouth, but the look on his face told Mina that he would most definitely bring those questions back up at a date much sooner, rather than later.  She couldn’t do much about that now, though, so it would be useless to dwell on it.  
  
Now that she was done recounting her early days to Kougami, she sat back rubbing her palms over her eyes, tired and wanting a shower.   She didn’t notice the way Kougami was carefully eyeing her from his stance against her bedroom wall.  
  
Kamiya held her hand out and asked, “May I look through the record?”    
  
The instinctual reaction was to say “no” and clutch it to her chest.  It was representative of all the secrets she had been holding so close since finding herself trapped under Sybil’s great thumb.  But, it wouldn't do any harm at this point, considering Kamiya already knew about the Unregistereds existence.  Besides, Mina couldn’t ignore the still guilty feeling that the inspector deserved a glimpse of the people Nakamura was so desperate to find and save, it had nearly cost Erra her life.   Part of her wasn’t sure she wanted to watch Erra look through the memories, so she stood to hand over the device and walked to the extra water pitcher at the bottom of the bed.  Surprisingly, the change seemed to somewhat quell the guilt-ridden anxiety clutching at her chest.  
  
It quickly rose again when Kou took a seat in the chair at the side of the bed to view the videos with Kamiya.  They could now both see the electronic viewer, and she couldn't.  It was still a knee jerk reaction to try to hide herself from Kougami, positive that he would reject her after learning enough.    
  
She put the pitcher back down, thinking maybe it was time for her to do anything else that would keep her from facing her fears.  Trusting Erra with the precious album, craving the warmth of a shower to finally clean off the filth that covered her body, she made to quietly exit the room.  The slight sound of the chair scraping was followed by a hand darting out, pulling her none too gently back to the chair.    
  
Kougami said, “No, you don’t.  You can’t leave yet.  I have to make sure you stay awake.”    
  
She growled, rolling her eyes, as she mentioned, “That doesn’t even make sense.  The average person is _supposed_ to sleep after a concussion.  I don’t know why you and Tetsuo are using something so antiquated to keep me here.  It’s been plenty of time for you to stop worrying I’ll be dying from a concussion, Kougami.  You don’t have to babysit me anymore.  Now, let me take a shower.”  
  
“If you were average, you could go.  It won’t hurt to let me keep an eye on you a little longer.  You know you always cause more trouble than an average person,” he stated, not releasing his hand from around her wrist.  
  
Mina scoffed loudly, which kind of hurt.  Any other day, she would have denied it vehemently, even though she knew it was a more-than-fair statement, but she was just lacking the voice and energy to argue at the moment.  As Erra's fingers swiped across the screen, Mina kneeled on the floor and felt her eyes closing.    
  
  
************  
  
Kamiya knew she should probably be sleeping, and she was truly exhausted like she had never been before, but the pain meds weren't so strong that they knocked her out, and this whole thing was far too interesting to put down just yet.    
  
Erra noticed immediately that the device held many files.  One was very clearly labeled “records,” but what caught her eye initially was a file called “Nakamuras.”  Touching it, a whole screen full of individual albums appeared.  The first thing she opened was a series of five pictures, the only ones on that album.  
  
The first was of the Nakamura family.  There was no doubting it.  Mina was there smiling toothily, and someone had tried to tame her hair.  She looked to be about eight years old.  Beside her, smiling too, was a boy in his early to mid-teens, obviously Kishio.  The children's parents stood tall behind them.  Both had bright blue eyes, just of a slightly different shade.  Their mother's hair was a shade darker than their fathers.  Kishio took just a little more after their mother, having hair the exact same color.  The children had matching blue eyes and olive skin, and both had that stubborn look that Mina so often displayed.    
  
When Mina rose up to see what Erra was grinning over, she turned pink and made a grab for the device.  “Oh!  That’s…that’s the wrong folder.  Those are the personal photos!”  
  
Erra grinned wider, “Mina, that’s exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to find.  What better way to learn about your people than with family photos?  There’s no way I’m just going to hand this over to you, yet.”  The inspector giggled softly at Mina’s embarrassed reaction.  
  
The next pictures told the story of an older brother teasing a little sister, who reacted by attacking him.  It ended with the adults pulling them apart, and the inspector found herself smiling and chuckling just a little until the pain forbade any more laughter.  She hissed over the pain in her abdomen and chest.  
  
“Careful there, Inspector,” Kougami said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.  “Maybe we should call it quits before Gino finds out how hard you’re pushing yourself in here.  He’ll murder me for sure.”  
  
“No!” she interjected.  “It’s fine.  I’m fine.  I need to see this.  Just a little more, Kougami, so…” she hated herself for saying it, “…that’s an order, Enforcer.”  
  
He actually laughed, shaking his head.  He gave her a lopsided grin and Kamiya felt embarrassed for using her authority over something so silly.  Kou relented,  
“Can’t argue with that.  You better at least tell him I tried.”  
  
Sighing her relief, she turned back to the files.  There were far more videos to view in an album labeled as such, so she started with the first in that album…one labeled “Birthday.”    
  
An adult Kishio's face filled the frame, much more modified with piercings and a colorfully dyed undercut, but still sporting that same mischievous, Nakamura family look that shone through in his almost perfect grin and striking blue gaze.  He was talking directly into the camera, but in that strange tongue that Mina sometimes blurted out that sounded like no language and every language at once.  It was fascinating, and she found Kishio’s presence almost mesmerizing.  
  
They didn't get two minutes in before Kou reached over and pressed pause, bringing that permanent smell of tobacco in way too close.  Out of reflex, Erra swatted his hand away, and he sat back.    
  
“Mina, will you....” he started but stopped when he realized she was dozing.  His finger shot out and poked Nakamura on the cheek, right on a bruise.  
  
“Fucking asshole!” Mina squeaked, jolting awake and punching at the man's shin.    
  
“Kougami,” Erra chastised, surprised at his roughness.  “That was mean.”  
  
A shrug, and then he said matter-of-factly, “We need her awake if we’re going to watch these videos.”  
  
Mina was clearly done dealing with Kou’s manhandling, and got up to again to leave.    
  
“Hang on!  I’ll stop, just stay awake,” Kougami said, grabbing her hand.  
  
She pulled it free and barked, “No!  You’re being a dick and I can’t deal with you right now.  If you’re going to be an ass, I’m certainly not sticking around.”  
  
Kamiya scoffed watching for a moment as the two interacted, noting the interesting way the dynamic between the two had changed since that gym fight the inspector had scolded them for in her office.  It seemed like such a long time ago, now especially.  Hell, it seemed like months had passed in this one rough night, alone.  
  
Kou was grabbing at Mina's hand and pulling her over to sit on the seat with him.  Erra immediately realized that it was because there was no room for another chair, but Mina was making such a show of being her obstinate self.    
  
Kamiya had to stifle another laugh when the woman almost fell on the floor rather than acquiesce to being in Kougami’s lap.  Erra could see why Mina would be embarrassed.  She looked almost childlike sitting there once she did give in, especially with the irritated pout she was wearing.    
  
Kou seemed to remedy the situation by putting his arm around her waist, taking a kinder approach, saying just above a whisper, “Stop being stubborn.  I’m not trying to baby you here.  We need you to translate.  There’s no way for us to understand otherwise and Kamiya is pushing through.  Stay just a little more, Min.”    
  
“Okay,” Mina wheezed, and Erra could see the exact moment she gave in, slumping against the other enforcer, cheeks tinged pink over being called out.  Kougami massaged lightly at Mina’s shoulders and she seemed to relax.  
  
Giving them a few seconds, Erra turned her attention back to the other Nakamura's face, waiting for the video to start again.  The grown version of Kishio was definitely attractive.  The video was paused at a part where he was smiling, and it was genuine and charming.  At the same time, he managed to look like he was up to no good, a real troublemaker.    
  
That dark hair that had been dyed various colors started at a green that faded into blue and then a dark indigo, and his styling left a fringe of bangs covering one eye.  That just made the unobstructed eye appear all the brighter.    
  
A piercing she knew as “snake bites” called attention to the shape of his mouth, a pout that made her think of kisses.  The right eyebrow was pierced, as well, with a thin silver bar.  The jewelry was not something Kamiya would have normally thought would complement a man this well, but on Kishio, it was sexy.    
  
One ear was pierced all the way up the shell with tiny black hoops, cigarette tucked behind its top.  The left ear had a black bar through its top, and a small black skull gauge was in each lobe.  The beginning of a tattoo peaked from above the plain white t-shirt he wore.  That was all she could see, but it was enough.   Mina’s brother was extraordinarily attractive.  
  
Mina interrupted Erra’s staring.  “I’m ready now.  Start the vid.”  
  
Pressing play, Kamiya listened to Mina's translation, just a few moments behind her brother's words.  His voice was deep and roguish, only enhancing his natural sex appeal.  Erra was a little embarrassed, but glad Ginoza couldn’t see her just now.      
  
“Hey, little sister!  I know I'm horrible, because I am going to miss your birthday, but I did get you a present and that should count for something, right?  I would tell you not to open it until the _day of_ your birthday, but you are so fucking sneaky, I know you won't listen.”  He paused, looking very proud of himself, and smiling even wider.  “I stole you a whole library worth of books, you...”  
  
It was obvious Mina had left out words, and Erra was going to let it slide, but Kougami wasn't.  He paused the video again, and the redhead swatted his hand again, vowing to remove it next time he interrupted.  The motion had stopped just as two men came into frame, bodily crashing into Kishio.    
  
Kou asked, “Min, what did he say?”    
  
Erra could tell Mina obviously didn't want to share, but Kougami chose to ignore that completely.    
  
Kougami stared hard into their translator.  “Min.”      
  
Giving in with a sigh, she said, “Little Terror.  He called me Little Terror.  It was a nickname.”  
  
“It suits you,” he smiled.      
  
Satisfied they started the video again, but it ended short because the tussle that was taking place knocked into the camera and turned it off.  They watched a few more.  One was of them as children.  It was cute to watch Mina tugging back on her brother's shirt, whining his name with much longer vowels.  All the while, he just kept walking, dragging the little girl behind him like she wasn’t there.  People who were most certainly their parents were laughing in the background.  The Nakamuras had been absolutely adorable children.  
  
Only once did the woman ask them to pass over a vid, but not before they saw Kishio elbow a man in the face.  Blood actually flew off of his elbow and onto the camera.  Erra quickly moved along.  
  
Erra couldn’t help but notice how the walls in all the videos that took place inside were all unadorned, and how most people’s clothes were anything but recent fashions.    
  
There were also many different languages being spoken.  She could recognize Russian, Portuguese, and Japanese distinctly.  The Unregistereds seemed to flit between them fluidly with no misunderstanding.  Later, she was going to ask Mina how many languages she actually spoke.      
  
Another thing that caught her attention was that everyone seemed to touch each other quite often, in more intimate ways than Kamiya could imagine being comfortable with, but that seemed to be commonplace and casual to the Unregistereds.  It much more frequently than any person Erra had ever seen in her experiences…even more than she and her husband had casually touched.  She imagined Mina must often feel stifled by their cultural differences.  
  
One vid in particular caught both Kou and Erra's attention.  Mina informed them that it was a summer festival.  
  
Everyone was scantily clad, dancing around very sweaty, but very happy.  Even Mina, who the second camera man spent a lot of time focused on, was wearing shorts so short part of her ass was visible, and a tank top that showed more of her chest than the sports bra she barely allowed herself to be seen in now.    
  
There were a lot of people, and at first the only person she recognized was the little brunette, but soon enough the camera was passed to someone and Kishio was in view.  Music was playing in the background, obviously live, and very upbeat.    
  
Erra was suddenly able to get a really good look at the man's physique and many tattoos.  He was leaner than his sister, a bit more angular, but still a little short for a man.  Tawny, well-defined muscle drew attention to his shoulders and back.  His pants were slung low on his hips, giving a nice view of the “V” shape leading down into his jeans.    
  
Everyone was talking loudly and might have been a little drunk.  When the music stopped everyone yelled happily, and started kissing each other.  Kishio kissed everyone around him on the lips, male and female.  In the background, Mina was doing the same.  The camera was panned out, but the elder Nakamura was still the most in focus.  He had pulled a woman into his arms, and was kissing her...not the little lip smacks from before.    
  
_No_ , he put his tongue into it, and Erra noticed he had a piercing there too.  The way her held her was sensual.  Hands toying with her shirt sleeves, moving up to her neck.  It was almost embarrassing to watch with other people in the room.  The camera moved then, away from the sight, and Kamiya found herself a little irritated with the operator of the camera.  
  
It went around showing more people enjoying the party.  One guy jumped in front of the camera and held up both middle fingers, only to be pushed away by the huge hand of the guy holding the recording device.  A gigantic bonfire was in the background at one point, and Erra thought that she wanted to ask the enforcer more about this whole festival later.    
  
The view found an angle with Mina in it, and it was like looking at a different woman.  She was happy and smiling, shamelessly interacting with those around her.  There was no trace of the anxious woman that had joined Division One.  It looked as though she had been in the sun, because her skin was darker.  Little braids, colored purple and red, were throughout her hair.  It was a good look on her, Erra thought, and wondered why she never did anything like that now.  
Kishio walked back into the shot, dragging a man behind him, smirking.  He threw something at his sister, who caught it, and smiled wide and bright.  They couldn't hear her from the background, but it was obvious she told him 'thank you.'    
  
Her brother brought his attention back to the guy with him.  Both were shirtless, and Kishio shamelessly brought his fingers to lightly graze the skin of the man's bare stomach, making the muscles jump beneath taut skin.  Erra was extremely embarrassed now, but looked to see Mina simply rolling her eyes.    
  
“Show off,” she muttered.    
  
“Get out of the frame,” the man with the camera shouted in Japanese.    
  
Kishio responded by saying, “Shut up, Banji.  You know you’ve been dying to watch the two of us.  Just be quiet and enjoy.”    
  
It wasn't long before they were kissing, and it was then that Erra decided the man was clearly sex personified.  The recorder was close enough to pick up the masculine little sighs, moans, and grunts that showed just how into it he and his partner were getting.  And when he spoke into the man's ear, she thought it might be Russian, but that didn't really matter because it sounded like he was telling the other man, as well as the man watching, every nefarious thing he had ever done and wanted still to do.    
  
“Mina,” Erra coughed out.  “I— I don’t know how...  Your brother was sexy as fuck!”    
  
Kougami scoffed, and Erra blushed.  
  
“Ugh.  So I hear.  I guess he must have been.  He always could get anyone he wanted.  He was just ‘appreciating the world’s beauty,’ as he called it.”  Mina laughed, muttering, “Douchebag.  He would have loved you, that's for sure.  You too, Kou.  He definitely would have been all over you.”    
  
But Kougami was still studying the scene in front of him, looking slightly less amused than just a moment earlier.  It was then that Erra's attention fell to Mina in the vid.  The young girl had run and jumped up into the arms of a very tall, attractive man and was being shamelessly affectionate, showering him with kisses as he laughed heartily and returned her attention.    
  
Before any comment could be made, the video ended and another started.  The cameraman in this one panned out wider than any of the previous vids.  There was a huge crowd of people kind of milling about in front of what look like several cave entrances.  The crowd, despite its size, was much quieter, a drastic difference from the boisterous scene Kamiya had just watched.    
  
The atmosphere was heavy.  Kishio came into view and started speaking.  Erra was able to understand that he was saying the date and time, and after that Mina translated, because he was speaking that strange, unidentifiable language.  It turned out he was interviewing people about their missing loved ones.  About fifteen minutes in, Mina reached over and paused the device.    
  
“This is all going to be like that, and we should probably save it for later when I can take notes, that is if my brother doesn’t have notes on it already.  I haven’t been able to look through the duffel bag completely, yet,” she supplied.    
  
“What’s going on here?”  Erra asked, pointing to the caves and the way people were organized around the entrances.    
  
“It’s our festival for the dead.  It was the best time for Kishio to gather data, because everybody was there, and it was about remembering the dead.  He felt it was more tactful to ask people during a time when they were prepared to talk about their missing loved ones.”  Mina reached back over and moved to the next recording.    
They moved through a couple more before feeling the need to pause again.  This time it was Kougami who stopped it.  They had been watching Kishio teach a class about knife technique in a dingy room with wooden floors.  The walls were lined with people, including Mina, and Erra was able to tell that Kishio was a very intuitive teacher.    
  
Kou rewound the vid and pointed to a very tall, blond man, the same Mina had been showering with affection in the earlier film.    
  
“Who’s that?” he asked.  
  
Mina leaned over and Erra saw her face scrunch up with disgust.  “That’s Brolin.  Why?”    
  
Erra immediately felt distaste for the person Kou was pointing to now that she had a clear view of the man.    
  
“Because...” he fast forwarded to a couple of minutes later.  “Your brother was very distrustful of him.  Every time they are both in the shot, your brother is eyeing him like he’s got something to say.”  
  
Erra watched Mina wince, swallowing thickly.    
  
“I never noticed, but Kishio was always careful about who he trusted.  He tried to warn me, and I ignored him.  Said he was being overprotective.  I should have trusted my brother more,” Mina said, looking ashamed.    
  
“Do you think that Ki…?” Kougami began, about to start in with another slew of overwhelming questions.    
  
“Kougami, later.”  Erra said it softly.  Intuitively, the inspector was aware that Mina was feeling guilt about not noticing something so vital and probably wondering ‘what if?’  She could almost hear Mina shouting at herself for being so blind.  
  
“I’m done for today,” Mina said, rising and rubbing a hand over her face, probably to stave off the oncoming tears.  “Kou, I’m using your shower and bathtub.  Erra, you can keep looking through the albums, if you want.”  
  
Erra nodded, realizing the level of trust Mina was showing her just then.    
  
“Maybe you should use the locker room showers.  You’re kind of disgusting right now,” Kou said, also standing.  
  
“I am taking a hot shower and then an even hotter bath, and you can’t stop me.”  The last words came out gruff and cracked.  Mina was already halfway to the door.    
Erra watched as the two bickered and walked out the door.  Before Kougami was out of the room he looked back and nodded and shot a wink her way.  Erra supposed that it was his way of saying he was glad she was okay and that they would figure this whole thing out together.  
  
Before he was completely out of sight, Erra asked, “Kou, could you please send my partner back in?”  When he smiled, she felt suddenly flustered, rushing out, “That is, if he’s not asleep or if he’s even still here after being in the hall for so long.”  
  
Kougami chuckled quietly.  “Trust me, inspector.  There’s not a chance either of those are true.”  
  
Erra chewed her lower lip, deciding to ask, “What…what happened to the two of you?”  
  
Kou looked as she gestured to his mess of a state.  He grinned wider, shaking his head before heading out.  Over his shoulder, he mused, “Let’s just say we both lost our cool over a pair of extremely troublesome women.”  
  
  
  
**_To Be Continued…_**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **We would really love and cherish any feedback you may have to share in the comments section!**
> 
> Just a warning, you might not want to Google "Krokodil." It's a real drug currently and it's side effects, especially to human flesh, are horrifying. 8-0
> 
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> http://thatgingahninja.deviantart.com/gallery/58932109/The-Commissions


	24. Untangling the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erra doesn't think it's the right time to tell Ginoza everything that happened, for fear of what it could do to the man's already clouded hue. Despite this, the two become closer by the day.
> 
> Kougami is curious about the newfound group of people, but will have to wait for clear answers, since Mina has become almost obsessed with decoding her brother, Kishio's notebook.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry that it's been ages since we last posted. Thank you very much to those of you who stuck around and supported us in the midst of our writer's block/personal troubles at home. You are very much appreciated and adored!! ^__^  
> We hope you enjoy the new chapter.
> 
> Poetry is from "Here We Shall Stay" by Tawfiq Zayyad

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: Untangling the Truth**

Only a few moments after Mina and Kougami had left the bedroom, Erra’s partner re-entered looking weary, worried, and somewhat worse for the wear. 

“Gino, I’m so sorry.  I didn’t really expect you to sit out there for so long,” she apologized.  “You could have gone home and come back in the morning.”

“Gone home?” he questioned, like the option had never existed to him before that moment.

Erra felt her chest tighten knowing that, after everything she had put him through the last several days, he never thought to just walk out and leave her to the consequences on her own.  Quietly she breathed, “I’m really sorry, Gino.  I don’t know how to apologize enough.

He waved his hand to signal that he was fine with it; well…more like she should drop it for the moment.  Immediately after, he looked at his wrist communicator, bringing up a detailed list of something bearing Tetsuo’s ID image in the upper left hand corner.  Erra didn’t really have the time to try to read the backwards images that faced her before Ginoza was beside her, checking over her carefully.  Her partner meticulously observed her chest port, the skin around the area where the IV had been inserted, the fluid bags— everything from her stiches to her pillows.

She tried to ask what he was doing but was quickly interrupted.

“I’m trying to follow Nurse Seki’s instructions, if you don’t mind, Kami.  I didn’t see a need for him to come back down unless there was another emergency.  He needs his rest, so his mind will be sharp in case we really do need him again in a hurry.”

Erra tilted her head, watching for any sign that he might be angry with her.  Not able to see any, she countered, “You know, you need your rest, too.”

“And you need yours,” he was quick to point out.  His green eyes cut to hers, sharp and cautioning her not to be concerned with his current needs.  “Just let me finish this, and I’ll leave you be for the night.”

 _Don’t go_ , Erra found herself thinking, but she couldn’t say something so selfish, not when he looked like he would fall over from his exhaustion at any second.

Erra could feel herself holding her breath as she watched him check over her body.  It wasn’t as if he were doing anything intimate.  He was as clinical as usual, but with him so adamant about making sure she was okay, Erra was feeling hyper-aware of every move he made.  She had to will herself to exhale when he moved to inspect the airflow from her chest port—a truly difficult feat when all she seemed able to notice, with his face so close, was how long his dark eyelashes were as they fluttered against his pale cheek.

Satisfied that everything on Tetsuo’s list seemed to check out, Ginoza switched gears into making certain Erra would be comfortable before he left.  He moved around the pillows to suit her, fetched another blanket when she admitted to feeling a bit cold, and filled both the pitcher and her cup with fresh water.

“Feel better?” Ginoza questioned, concern just as obvious on his face as before.

“I feel filthy,” she admitted, touching her dirtied hands to her still matted hair.  

Ginoza looked at her for a long moment, adjusted his glasses, and walked out of sight into Mina’s kitchen.  She heard a soft curse after hearing what could have only be a pile of plastic dishes falling from a cabinet.  There was a bit more scuffling and drawers opening.  The sound of water running was a precursor to Ginoza returning with a huge bowl full of steaming water, liquid hand soap, and a wash cloth.  The items were set on her bedside table after some rearranging.  

“I apologize, but I suppose this is the best we can do for now,” he said.  “I obviously can’t allow you to try walking to the bathroom.”

“Thank you, Ginoza.  This should be helpful enough.  I would probably go crazy, if I had to sit here in this dirt all night.” 

Kami was grateful, because she was starting to itch from the feel of the mud drying and cracking in the various creases of her skin.  With an eager smile she reached for the cloth, enjoying the heat she could feel coming off of the water.  She almost had her fingers on the cloth when she stretched a bit too far and a sharp pain in her abdomen made her wince and pull back her arm.  It had been such a stabbing sensation that she had squeezed her eyes shut in an effort to hold back the quick sting of tears.

Clicking his tongue, as he so often did, Ginoza said, “Here.  I’ll do it.  Why do you have to be so much trouble?”  

Erra could tell that he meant for his tone to be annoyed and put out, but it didn’t come out that way at all.  It was too soft, almost a whisper, and when she looked up, his face was a mix of uncomfortable hesitation fighting against his desire to make Erra as comfortable as possible.  

He grabbed the cloth slowly, soaked it, and applied soap.

Realizing what was happening, Erra’s eyes widened knowing that there would be no way this wouldn’t feel like something extremely intimate for both.  Neither of them could separate themselves _that_ much from the feelings that had stirred between them. 

She didn’t mean to, but all she could manage to do was to stare at his long, elegant fingers gently massaging the soap into the cloth.    

When he noticed her staring, he said, “Just your neck, face, and hands…perhaps?”  He was giving her a chance to reject his touch…reject the awkward tension between them, but she had no intention of doing that.  

Erra nodded and closed her eyes when he started gently wiping the cloth across her forehead.  The heat and gentleness lulled her.  Over her cheeks and nose, across her lips, behind her ears he washed and then rinsed, with touch so light and warm it ached.  His thumbs swept gently across places that the rag had missed, and though the pressure of his skin against hers had barely existed, it still left blooming heat in its wake.

After her face was clean, the feel of the warm cloth on her neck had her eyes fluttering open.  Ginoza was close enough that his soft breaths randomly drifted over her collar bone and cheeks as he moved to get to the grime.  Inhaling deeply, she noticed that Gino himself smelled dirty, damp, masculine— with only a trace of his familiar aftershave still distinguishable, after whatever had happened in that storm.  Erra shuddered at the raw, primal images the erotic scent forced through her mind.

She thought that there was no way Gino could have missed the goosebumps that raised in the wake of his breathing.  He seemed completely focused on his task, however, careful not to make eye contact, as though if he didn’t pay attention to the very spot he was cleaning, the moment might suddenly vanish— that _Erra_ might suddenly vanish.  Ginoza was drawing out each swipe of the cloth slowly, so slowly, and Erra wondered if it was too much to hope that he was feeling worked up the way she was.   

Her hands were next, and he even took care to clean as well as possible under her fingernails.  She didn’t miss the way his hands lingered a bit too long on her skin.  Everywhere he washed, Ginoza was meticulous in his method, making certain he left no trace of the offensive dirt behind, as if removing the filth was the only way he could find to help her through this disaster of a night.

Erra absentmindedly scratched at her knee, which had been particularly caked with mud.  After removing her hand and rewashing the nails, Ginoza newly wet the cloth with warm water and scrubbed in gentle circles until the dirt was gone.  When he brought the cloth back to rinse, it was a little too wet, and a thin stream of warm water trickled down Erra’s thigh and rolled off the inside onto the mattress.  Though, not before Erra gasped at the sudden sensation.

Thinking only about Erra having a dry place to lay, Ginoza snatched a few facial tissues from Mina’s nightstand and dabbed at the small wet spot.  It took him much longer than Erra expected for him to realize that his fingers were between her thighs, and that her expression was frozen with startled embarrassment. 

“I—“ he halted, eyes snapping up to her face before firmly squeezing them shut.  “I’m terribly sorry.”

“I can…um…I think I can probably manage that part myself…later…”  Erra’s eyes were still staring at the way Ginoza clutched the wet cloth.  His hand trembled noticeably and shook drips of water that landed cool on her exposed thigh.  She shivered and he pulled the blanket back around her, but by then her trembling had little to do with the cold.

“May I?” Gino asked, placing his fingers around the bottom of her braid.

“Oh.  Don’t do that.  I’m sure it’s embarrassing enough to look at as it is!”  Erra was pretty sure the only time she might have looked worse was when she had learned what lethal eliminator mode actually entailed.  

“You don’t really think I care about those things, do you?”  The words sounded defensive.  

She didn’t answer, because even if he didn’t care, she did.  She put a lot of effort into looking put together and tidy, and it was annoying that her partner kept on seeing her at her very worst.  He had already seen her covered in bits of human remains, a sobbing drunk, and now this.

In a way, her appearance had always been a shield, a way to focus people’s attention on her outside and keep them from wondering too heavily about what went on inside her tumultuous head and heart…but now wasn’t the time for her to feel self-conscious about that.  Now wasn’t even the time to be worried about those things.  Ginoza had already seen so much of her.  He had seen, and still he was here.  He was helping her, and nothing about his actions or demeanor was anything other than compassionate and gentle, even when he had every right to be pissed.  

It took her so long to answer that her partner asked, “You could just let me untangle it and get the bits of stick out so you can sleep, right?”

She slowly nodded her consent, and instead of her usual flirty taunts, she sat silently and enjoyed his hands on her.  As he pulled the strands out of the complicated, overlapping pattern she had painstakingly worked on that morning (a morning that felt centuries ago by now), Erra suppressed the small quiver that came with the way his hands made her scalp tingle. 

It felt good, that is, until he started having to use a little force to get the bits of sticks, clumps of mud, and leaves out of the tangles.  It didn’t hurt, but there was no way for him to be as gentle as he had been and actually get the rubbish out.  She knew, without having to see, what the wild crimps and knots must look like.  Her hair was officially a wreck.    

The sound of his laughter, genuine and smooth, had her head snapping up to see the sight.  When he caught her eyes he said, with mirth, “You were right.  It’s pretty embarrassing.”

“Oh!  Ginoza!” she scolded, swatting his hand away and trying desperately to smooth it.  She could feel her cheeks burning red, both from her own embarrassment and from the feeling that hearing Gino’s laughter caused her.

He laughed much harder than he normally would have.  Perhaps it was a stress release of all the building tension, and his broad, statuesque shoulders shook with the force of it.  “It will definitely need to be washed, as soon as you’re able,” he grinned. 

Finally, he settled, and Erra did her best to give him a mean glare.  It seemed the look had failed, because all he did was smile and wipe under the rims of his glasses.  “I would offer to brush it, but evidence would suggest that Mina and her nest of hair don’t own a hairbrush.”

That had her shaking her head and smiling right back at him.  “You watch it, now,” she warned with that smile.  “She tries her best.”

With no thought of deeper meaning, Erra placed her hand over where Ginoza’s was pressing into the mattress.  He didn’t move away.  

Instead, he turned his hand over to clasp hers. “You’re not going to tell me what was discussed while I was in the hallway, are you?”

She was slow to return her answer.  “No…not yet, anyhow… but it has nothing to do with whether or not I trust you.  I’m not willingly going to put you in a situation that could have your psycho-pass numbers skyrocketing.”

“And knowing that alone wouldn’t make them skyrocket?” he retorted, frowning instantly returning. 

She could tell by the look in his eyes, he was feeling frustrated more than anything else.  She knew he had been struggling more lately with his inability to keep his psycho-pass stable, and that he looked at that as a disability.  In his head, she was sure, the fact that she wouldn’t share the information with him made him feel ineffectual. 

“To a degree, I’m sure your hue is already cloudier than usual because of my decisions today.  I hate that I’m the cause, but I would rather you not become an enforcer anytime soon, Gino,” she responded.  “And this is certainly the kind of information that could send you over the edge on a day where so much has already happened.  Please give me time before I give you the details.”  

Releasing her hand to squeeze the bridge of his nose, he grumbled, “It isn’t right for you to decide…”

“Actually, it is.  I’m not just your partner, remember?  I’m in charge of monitoring the Division One’s psychological health, as well.  The chief has all of us on thin ice, but you and Mina, specifically.  Kaisei would just love an excuse to get rid of you, and I know you realize that.” 

Erra brought her palm gently to his cheek.  “Gino, I really need you to be here, by my side…and I _know_ I’ll never be able to find out the whole truth or protect this city without you.  I can’t have you getting thrown off the force.  I _need_ you to trust my judgement.  The less people that know, the better.  Please.  You do trust me, don’t you?” 

It only took a few seconds for his expression to change into something like resignation, before he sighed out, “I trust that you would never endanger me purposely, Kami, but I’m not sure I can trust that you won’t do anything this reckless again.”  Erra winced at the blunt admission, but how could she blame him?

Continuing, Ginoza said, “I don’t want to leave your side either, but my whole life is wrapped up in this job.  Just—  I don’t like having this type of secret.  I don’t think I can do anything to help you or anyone on my team, if I don’t have all the facts.”

“Of course, you can, if you trust me to make decisions _with_ you.  I know how much doubt you must be feeling about me as a person right now, but--” 

“No!  Not about you as a person or as a partner!  I don’t have misgivings about those things, at all, Kami.  Today has forced me to worry that you’re willing to take any sort of risk to have your answers, without being concerned at all with your own safety, but I can’t forgive that kind of behavior!”

Erra’s brow pinched together and her chest tightened at the reprimand.  It was true.  It didn’t really matter to her if she died, so long as she knew the truth about Ren before going.  It was true, and now Gino knew it.

“You’re not the only one of this team who has lost someone important.  We all have.  And it’s selfish of you not to care about the people you’ll be leaving behind by throwing yourself into this sort of danger without so much as a word.”  His voice was firm and disappointed, twisting Erra’s heart in her chest as she listened.

“You’re right,” she whispered, not knowing what else to say to him.

He returned his hand to hers, saying, “I really want to be able to help you, because you’re my partner…and my friend and I feel— Can I do that, if you don’t tell me what went on out there today?” 

She looked at the curve of his neck, trying to keep her focus, anxiety rising at what she was about to ask.  “You can help me, Ginoza.  I need to ask you for something selfish, but it’s probably what I need most, at the moment.” 

“What do you need?”  He swallowed thickly, obviously picking up on her tension. 

“Will you stay here with me tonight?”

A blush formed on his cheeks as an expression very similar to catching a child sneaking candy crossed his face.  He fiddled with his glasses nervously. “I was considering sneaking back in to sleep on the couch, for the record.” 

Erra felt a strange sense of desperation at the idea of him being that far away.  She grabbed onto the sleeve of his shirt, noting that it was still damp from where he’d soaked her washcloth.  “No, not on the couch.  I can’t stay in this room alone.  I’m afr— I need you to stay here…i-in here by me.” 

Ginoza’s eyes went wide and then narrowed. “I can’t very well lay on the bed with you!  You’ve just had serious surgery.”  He suddenly looked so flustered about the idea.  Erra found it incredibly adorable and wanted to savor his blush.

“That’s--” she laughed softly at his understandable mistake.  “No.  I am pretty sure Mina has an extra futon in the closet.  I just want you in the same room with me.”  She didn’t care how vulnerable the statement made her seem.    

His smile was sweet, and he looked relieved, though she thought maybe he didn’t have to look quite so relieved.    

He opened the closet to wrestle the futon out and onto the floor, next to the bed.  Erra chuckled when she heard his cursing floating through the apartment while he was looking for sheets, clearly disliking Mina’s disorganization.  When he returned, he complained loudly about finding them under the bathroom sink, in the cabinet.

Finally, he removed his glasses and his tattered shirt, leaving only a thin undershirt that did nothing to hide the definition of his torso.  Erra went from giggling to blushing to having trouble swallowing.  When Ginoza glanced up and spotted her expression, Erra quickly asked, “Um…could you get the lights?”

He did as asked, returning silently to his place on the floor.  After a minute of tense silence, Erra reached her free hand down, groping to connect with Ginoza.  Instead of his hand, she found his shoulder, which caused him to sit back up.

“Is something the matter?” he whispered.

She shook her head and tried to smile.

“It’s just…I do have a secret I can tell you, even if it isn’t the one you wanted.”  Her hand still dangled off the bed, and even in the dark, Gino must have been able to see her growing unease, because he took that hand and clasped it tightly between his own.

“I knew I had seriously messed up, and I knew you were going to be so disappointed and furious, but on the way back here, I didn’t think I would ever be able to tell you how—“ Erra’s voice caught in her throat, as the tears began welling up in her eyes.  “—to tell you how sorry I was.  I was scared, Gino.  I really thought it was the end, and I was so…so scared.  F-forgive me…”

Ginoza quickly rose on his knees, wrapping Erra in a careful hug.  Speaking low and soothingly against her ear, he calmed her, “No.  No.  No one would have known you were scared.  You were marvelous.  How could I not forgive you when you fought so hard to stay?”

Erra began to shake as she finally let go of the fear she had been holding onto since arriving in the Unregistered village so much earlier.  Her sobs grew loud and uncontrollable and she found herself unable to stop muttering apologies, while Gino just continued to hold her and comfortingly run his fingers over her back and neck.

She wasn’t sure how long she cried, and it couldn’t have been comfortable for Ginoza, the way he carefully had himself positioned, but he never pulled back.  He never let go. 

Slowly Erra was able to calm down, and was on the verge of sleep when she heard Gino say, “I know I’m a hard man to like by most standards, and I know we’ve gotten ourselves into a confusing mess where romantic feelings are concerned, and I _know_ you’re sorry now…but Erra, don’t you ever, ever do something like this to me again, okay?  Don’t you ever go off alone and come back barely alive, understand? Or I really don’t think I’ll be able to forgive you.”

Nearly asleep, Erra wanted to agree, wanted to swear it there and then, wanted to clutch at him tightly and soothe away the catch she’d heard in his voice, but as he laid her back and her head hit the pillow, her exhaustion overcame her.

Ginoza finally laid down and made himself as comfortable as possible.  Just before he drifted off as well, with his fists clenched at his chest, Ginoza quietly admitted, “You weren’t the only one terrified that tonight was your last.”

 

************

Kougami demanded that Mina, at the very least, allow him to accompany her in the shower and bath.  She seemed okay with the shower, but he could tell she was mad about the bath.  She had planned on sleeping in there, he was sure of it.  Kou knew how heavy she slept and how much she moved.  She’d certainly drown herself if he left her alone in there. 

As the dirt and debris from Mina’s body swirled down the drain, Kougami let his mind drift to the millions of questions he had.  He wanted to know more about her brother, Kishio and his black market activities.  He wanted to know why all those Unregistereds were taken—and where.  If someone had wanted them dead, why not do it right then and there?  If the dead they had found were Unregistereds, why were they killed and buried that way?  Had others ever managed to find their way into the hands of Sybil’s society like Mina had?  Mina didn’t seem to think so. 

While lounging behind Mina in the bathtub, he bit his tongue to stop the flood of questions about how the Unregistered society worked.  How did they decide leadership?  How did reciprocity work?  What happened when there wasn’t enough food?  What did they do with their sick and elderly?  Did they have proper medical care? How often did they move? What was Mina’s role in all of this?  Did they have something like an army or militia?  How did the black market connection work?    

The worst of his curiosity kept returning to how the hell Mina wound up in rehab where he had found her in the awful state she was in.  It was an enormously long amount of time for which Mina had drawn a blank.  Was her memory loss a product of her own mind, or was it somehow induced?  The records about the state of her body in the hospital, just before she was confined to Adashi Municipal, indicated that something traumatic probably happened.  

Instead of completely barraging her with more in depth interrogation, he casually massaged the extreme tightness in her shoulders until it slowly melted away.  Once they were laying in his bed, Mina practically went limp in her exhaustion.  Kou positioned himself in front of her on his side so that he could see when she was starting to nod off.  Unable to stop himself, he decided to ask a few of his less complicated questions.

“Mina?” 

“Hm?”

“The tattoo you woke up with, it’s the one on your shoulder, the barcode of numbers...” he led into his actual question, “does it mean anything to you?  Does the series of numbers?  I know you don’t remember getting it, but do you have an idea of what it means?” 

“No.”  She swallowed and grabbed one of his hands tightly, letting her gaze fall to their intertwined fingers.  “I...” 

“What?  Do you know something?”  Kou knew he shouldn’t press.  He could see how quickly her demeanor had changed.

“No, but I can tell you that I hate looking at it, and I feel like I am going to panic when someone rubs their fingers across it.  It’s almost like a reflex, and I have no idea why, which makes the feeling all the more frightening.” 

Kou decided to move on.  She seemed distressed just talking about it, so he switched to something that might be less painful.  “It looked like everyone had a tattoo on their wrists in those videos.  I couldn’t make out a lot of them, but all the ones I could see were compasses.  Is that…?” 

Mina cleared her throat and winced, still feeling the pain of her strangulation.  “It’s a rite of passage for us… kind of.  Once you get it, you are considered an adult.  Every Unregistered has one, and all of them are compasses but with different designs.  No two are alike.”  She was looking at her own with a wistful smile.

“I like yours,” he stated, tracing the pattern with his hand, looking once again at the familiar half-sun/half-moon that made the circle of her compass.  “Is it hard to live like that?  Moving constantly, I mean.”

She laughed, then groaned in pain.  Her meds must have been wearing off.  “Not at all.  It kind of feels natural.  I can’t remember a time when I didn’t.  We usually moved seasonally, unless there was a raid.  I actually feel really restless being stuck here like this.” 

Kougami tried to imagine moving around like that and living with what you could carry.  His face must have showed his thought process because Mina explained further.

“It was one of my favorite things.  It was a lot of work, but it was also a time we celebrated.  Every night, when we set up camp, people would come together and play music or tell stories.  Before I could read, I can remember my parents and brother reading books out loud to groups of people.”

Another benign question crossed his mind.  “Is it just during the summer festival, or are Unregistered people typically so physically affectionate?” 

“Well, yes and no,” she mused, running her hands across Kou’s chest as she thought.  “We _are_ terribly affectionate people, but the kissing that you saw was for the festival.  I have no idea where it all started or which culture brought it to us, but it has been like that for as long as I can remember.  But yeah…we are very fond of physical contact, especially if someone is close to us.  Very different from here, for sure.”  

Shinya allowed his brain to venture into how lonely Mina must have felt waking up in their city, without a soul that knew what past she had come from. His fingers absently trailed up and down her spine as he stated, “You miss them, your people.”

Mina nodded and locked eyes with him.  He could see clearly that intense sadness he’d caught in her gaze so many times before.  She said, “I miss everything.  I miss some of the smallest things, like being able to sit outside and watch a storm come in at night, or crowding around a fire pit with my village family and listening to songs.” 

Silence settled for a few moments until Kou noticed Mina’s eyes closing.  Trying not to disturb her, he kept further questions to himself.  He just looked at her, trying to make sense of it all.  It was strange that after learning so much in just one night he still managed to come up with a million and one questions concerning her.  The answers had somehow only made her more mysterious.

“What’s that look for?” she interrupted his thinking, her crystal blue eyes trying hard to keep open. 

He chuckled and ran his fingers across her eyebrows, coaxing her eyes to shut once more.  “When I think about everything you’ve told me about the Unregistered people, lines of a poem I read a long time ago pop into my head.”   

“What are they?” she asked sleepily, wincing a little as she nuzzled her nose against the skin on his shoulder.  He thought he might need to get up soon, as Tetsuo’s painkillers were definitely wearing off.  

 

_“Our past lies before us, our present inside us, our future on our backs, As though we were twenty impossibilities.”_

 

His thumb traced the skin of her wrist, around and around her compass tattoo.  “I don’t even remember where or when I read that, but it immediately came into my head.” 

“Hmm.  I like it,” she murmured, her tiny breaths tickling pleasantly against his bare skin. 

It was only a few moments more before she was asleep, and Kougami was mulling over the woman, Mina Nakamura and the Unregistered people being twenty possibilities and impossibilities at once. 

 

 

************

She was incredible.  Ginoza had rarely been so impressed with another inspector the way he was with Kamiya, and it had little to do with the fact that he wanted her so badly now that it ached.  

She had been back in the office, pretending nothing had happened, in three days’ time.  She had insisted that one day of work was all she could afford to miss without it being too suspicious to the higher ups.

It was obvious that she had been in quite a scuffle, but the two major wounds were concealed by her clothes.  Kami walked slower and carried herself a bit differently, but she still managed small talk in the hallways and kept a smile on her face around passing colleagues, managing to dodge comments on what should be done with a team of enforcers who would let their inspector get so injured in the field.

As usual, through her own efforts and coping mechanisms alone, her hue had remained unclouded.  Her Crime Co-efficient was higher, but nowhere near a dangerous zone.  Gino was a little jealous that he didn’t possess whatever secret she had that allowed her to manage to keep such a healthy psycho-pass, but more than anything, he found her remarkable.  His feelings had grown much stronger since her near death.  He hated it.  He wanted to ignore it, but he was completely unable, and he actively worked to protect his partner harder than ever before.

The Sunday after Nakamura’s little stunt, Ginoza had made certain his team took an assignment that could easily turn dangerous…and though he couldn’t bear to forge the documents himself, he looked the other way when Masaoka wrote up the report to explain away Kamiya’s and Nakamura’s injuries.  He intentionally brought the two of them to Seki in the medical ward himself, so that they would have access to whatever technology the nurse thought would aid their healing process without them changing too many hands and raising suspicions, earning them both a day and a half’s rest in the best infirmary in the city.  And when he was asked to sign off on the completed case file and medical reports, he somehow accomplished it despite the guilt of disobeying the law.

Ginoza had managed to shuffle off most of their next cases onto the other divisions in the CID.  The few they had had over the three weeks since the incident, he was careful to find excuses for his partner to stay with the cars.  He knew she could see through him, but the fact that she didn’t argue was all the more reason for him to keep up the charade.  Ginoza knew the inspector was truly hurting if she wouldn’t even bother accusing him of being patronizing.

Still, as much as she struggled to make it through the first couple of weeks on the job, she still found the time to tease him mercilessly at HQ, as she so enjoyed.

Quiet times in the building, working on mountains of paperwork, she would come into his office and sigh heavily, like she’d been holding the telling breath in for the whole day.

“Hurting again?” he would ask, without really looking up from his desk.

She would groan and nod.  “I feel like I kind of deserve an award for being such a quality actress.  Or maybe a pay raise.”  

Internally, Gino wholeheartedly agreed, but still he would chide her with statements like, “You wouldn’t have to do this at all, if you had just followed protocol.”

Scoffing, she would shoot back, “Now there’s an idea I hadn’t considered.”

Lifting an eyebrow at her sarcasm, secretly relishing the obstinate look on her face, he would stand and offer her the more comfortable chair in his office.  Without fail, she would sit down gratefully, with a low groan.

“Which one today?” Nobuchika would ask her.  It varied from day to day, which injury hurt the most.  They were both healing nicely with the modern technology available at their fingertips, but still they ached, especially after the way she pushed herself through the work week.

Almost always she said her side and she would have him inspect to make sure it looked alright, lifting her shirt just enough to expose the wound scaring over on her abdomen.

But sometimes, “The leg,” was her response.  She would slip off her heel, and point her toes towards his lap as Gino pulled his other chair across from her.  “Would you mind taking a look, Inspector?”  

He knew full well she was taunting him, trying to get a rise.  He didn’t care in the slightest.  Since watching the life drain rapidly from Erra’s body, he had made the decision to take whatever opportunities with her that he was given.  Whatever flirting, whatever touching, whatever moments they could have with each other, he wasn’t going to let them pass him by any longer.

“You’ll have to push my skirt up a little higher than this, Gino,” she said mischievously one evening, watching closely for his reaction.

“I’ll do nothing of the sort.  Quit fooling around, Kami, and let me check, if it’s really bothering you that badly.”

It wasn’t that he was truly annoyed.  He wanted her and she knew it.  He knew she knew it, but her game was electrifying, like not much else had been in his life.  Nobuchika wasn’t ready to give it all up just yet.

“Tch.  Never any fun, Ginoza,” she would pretend to pout, and then raise her skirt high enough to see the stitches in her thigh.  She didn’t lift the fabric in an enticing way, just merely to let him check the healing cut.  The stab wounds really did hurt her and even with her jests, she _was_ anxious to have a second opinion after a full day of pushing herself.  Gino had been elated when she told him that she trusted him most to be honest with her.

His answer was almost always the same.  “It looks surprisingly better, Kami.  I don’t know how you managed that with the way you’ve been pushing yourself.”

Except on that particular evening, the skin at the edge of the stitches seemed a little inflamed and tugged too tightly.  He stood and grabbed antiseptic spray from his office cabinet, which held an array of basic first aid supplies, and returned to his seat in front of her.  As he sprayed, it stung the wound and Kamiya hissed from the pain.  Without a second thought, Ginoza leaned slightly forward and did what his mother had always done to cool the stinging pain of antiseptic.  He blew lightly across the area on her thigh.

His partner gasped audibly.  Ginoza’s eyes grew wide, and he sat up quickly. “Inspector!  Forgive me!  It was a knee-jerk reaction.  I wasn’t…”

She placed her hand on his bare forearm, where his sleeves had been rolled away up to his elbows.  “Calm down, Gino.  I was only startled, there’s nothing to apologize about.  It’s not like I hated it.  It’s not like you did either, right?”

Back to her games, and back to the tips of his ears burning with embarrassment.  He didn’t know why he wasn’t able to get used to how she liked to tease.  Ginoza always ended up feeling foolish, because he seemed so immature about these things when he was with Erra.

“It still stings,” she said quietly, eyebrow raised in her usual taunting manner.  She was daring him, as always, knowing he was too uptight to take anything further.

Suddenly, Gino realized she didn’t have the upper hand on this one.  She would never expect him to play along this far.   _He_ would never expect it of himself.  He leaned forward again, closer this time.  Never removing his jade eyes from her teal, he blew out a long, cooling breath.  Her eyes widened slightly and her mouth almost fell open.  She shifted a bit in her chair and he stopped.

As he sat back to full height, with his face as flat as always, he asked, “Better?”

Kamiya opened her mouth to say something but then closed it again.  She appeared completely flustered and Ginoza was pleased.  “Mm-hm,” was the best answer she could manage while giving a short nod.

Ginoza felt a rush, something he could only attribute to having the power to discombobulate Erra.  His mind flit to what it would be like to use that power in a much more intimate situation.  Emboldened, he placed his palm on the side of her knee, noting the difference in temperature between their skins. 

A fleeting glance showed that she was defenselessly focused on where he was touching, unable to form any sarcastic comeback with his fingers trailing over her leg.  A soft pink blush adorned her cheeks as he smoothed his hand higher to frame her marred skin. 

When he applied light pressure against her thigh, the hitch in her breath made him worry that he’d actually hurt her, but the way she was looking at him expressed clearly that she hadn’t gasped from pain.  Her gaze was gorgeous and full of desire, and it only urged him on.

Ginoza could easily continue this game, and he felt Erra would let him.  He could move his fingers much higher, where there was no excuse to touch, and where his lips longed to kiss, if only to see her reaction.  If he moved a few inches higher still, he could probably graze against her underwear, something he desperately wanted to do, but it was taking everything in him to remain the one in control.  He could barely keep his breathing steady as things were. 

Before he accidently went too far, and before he gave into his other urge to lay his cheek against the cool skin he was drawing soft figure eights against, he moved his hand slowly back to where he started and straightened in his chair again. 

The loss of contact brought the softest of sighs from Erra’s throat, and her eyelids drifted closed while she composed her thoughts.  He could not contain the way one corner of his mouth twitched up into a smirk.

Sighing again, she opened her eyes and began, “Gino…that was—“

But he stood and interrupted.  There was no way he was going to let her regain the upper hand after all of that.  “You can stay as long as you need, just lock the door when you’re done.  I really have to hurry home and walk Dime.”

“What?” she questioned, looking completely startled by his sudden declaration of departure.

Ginoza wished her a good night and left the room, satisfied imagining the flustered expression he must have left on her face.

 

************

Time passed, and Mina’s wounds healed quickly.  Her assumptions concerning the identity of the skeletons were proven correct.  They were Unregistered people, and she was sure that the other remains that had been so quickly destroyed would have been Unregistered, as well. 

Her brother’s extensively detailed notebook and its much valued translation was fast becoming a research project that encompassed nearly all of her free time.  The biggest reason, Mina couldn’t help but think repeatedly during the process, was that her brother had been a genius, little shit who liked to code every damned thing he wrote in it…apparently just because he could, most of the time.  Mina couldn’t count the number of times she wished Kishio was actually there with her, just so she could give him a huge hug and then punch him square in the face. 

When Kou condescendingly questioned why she was having such a hard time, she had handed the notebook to him and told him he had an hour to figure out what one page said.  An hour later, he threw the notebook down on her desk, lit a cigarette, and walked away without a word. 

It wasn’t that Kishio was just switching between languages like a master polyglot.  He was also using a short hand code that comprised of something they had made up together as children, and something else _he_ had made up as an adult that she was completely unfamiliar with.  It was difficult, to say the least.  If she had not known him so well— his speech patterns and tastes, the languages he preferred to draw inspiration from— translation would have been impossible. 

Another contributing factor to her intense focus was that within two pages, Mina had been able to discover that Kishio had found himself in a similar hotbed of questions like _she_ was currently trying to answer. 

Now that she was over halfway through the notebook, she was sure that Kishio had been on the right track to finding out where their people had been going and even who had been taking them.  If she was translating correctly, the next few pages would reveal another dumping ground for the bodies, and Mina didn’t get the impression that it would be the same as that deserted meadow.  She had thus far come across mentions of it being underground, so it was possible Kishio would provide them with a huge lead.  They might actually be able to obtain more detailed evidence of what had happened to all of those missing people, or the “why” and “how” they were ending up in areas under the Sybil System.

Her brother had put so much work into finding out the truth, and it hurt to think that she had known nothing about it.  Had she just been that unobservant?  No.  She knew why she hadn’t paid as much attention to Kishio near the end of his life, and she still hated herself for it.  Brolin had expertly isolated her from everyone she trusted and loved.  She had become dependent on him just before he betrayed her and the time began where her memories vanished.  She would give anything to change those days.

As things stood now, all she could do to honor Kishio’s memory was to find out what he had started and to finish it.  Mina poured over the notebook with an embarrassing number of dictionaries open on her e-reader.  She wished there was a way for her to find and speak to Kishio’s black market connections, but there was no mention of their real names. 

Just as she was finishing up translating her brother’s notes on an interview with “the wise professor” (all his contacts had names like that), she was interrupted. 

“Mina,” Kou said, with what one could call a disappointed frown.

“Huh?”  Mina was having trouble looking away from what she was doing.  She was so damned close to finding out what she wanted to know. 

“You need to sleep,” he answered.  It seemed a silly suggestion.  She didn’t even know what time it was to begin with, but she didn’t feel tired.  She felt driven.

“It’s 4:00 in the morning, Min,” he grumbled.

Maybe driven wasn’t quite the right word then.  Maybe it was more like manic, but still…this was important.

His footsteps barely registered in her ears.  “The professor” from the notebook was talking about “facilities,” implying that that was where all the missing people were being taken.  _What kind of facility?_ Surely translating just a few more lines would have given her the answ—

Mina whined when Kougami deftly closed the notebook and pressed his palm against it.  She knew from experience that if she tried to get it away from him, she would lose.  This had happened twice this week already. 

“Here,” he said sternly, handing her a steaming cup of something she hoped was green tea or coffee. 

One sniff was enough to draw a disappointed wrinkle between her eyebrows.  “Kou, this isn’t coffee.” 

“I know.” He was pulling the notebook off of the table and moving toward the bedroom. 

She followed the book and said, “This isn’t green tea either.” 

“I know,” he repeated, slipping his shirt off and turning on only the bedside lamp.

Again she whined.  “Why?” 

“Like I said, you need to sleep.  It’s chamomile.  Erra sent down a box with me this evening.  She knows you haven’t been sleeping either,” he answered as he placed the book on his bedside table. 

Mina stared at him angrily, but it couldn’t have been very convincing, because Kougami walked over and pulled off her blouse before shoving her into one of her oversized, ratty t-shirts she so loved to sleep in.  She would have kept glaring, but it was hard when he was acting so concerned for her.

It was maybe the twentieth time that week that she had marveled at their newfound domesticity.  If he wasn’t demanding she go to bed, he was making sure he had coffee ready and waiting for her every morning.  They had yet to spend a single night apart since she and Erra had returned from the Unregistered village, and it was something she didn’t utterly loathe, for a change.  It felt comfortable and safe.  Neither of them mentioned it directly to one another, but it was impossible not to feel the weight of what might possibly be becoming a real relationship.   

“Don’t pout,” Kou ordered, startling her out of her thoughts.  “Come to bed.” He pulled the covers down on her side. 

“That’s rich coming from a man who lives off of cat naps,” she replied with an extremely snarky voice. 

“The difference, Mina, is that I can function and be a civil human being with cat naps.  You, on the other hand, scare small children and are an absolute terror.  Now get in to bed.” 

“Fine.”  The tea was set aside.  Mina slid under the covers, feeling her back relax against the soft cushion of the bed.  “That was very sweet of Erra.”

Kou made a soft sound in the back of his throat agreeing, before climbing into the bed himself.  He switched off the lamp, and pulled Mina to his side.  “What did you find out?” he asked, hand resting on her hip in the dark.

“There is another dumping ground.  Possibly multiple locations.  In fact, I would probably have an exact location right now, if _someone_ had not so rudely barged in and taken the notebook,” she complained, turning to poke him in the chest.

Kougami’s fingers had found their way under her shirt and were tracing the slightly raised pattern of ink on her side.  “So you don’t think this could be a dead end?”

“I am ninety-eight percent sure it’s real.  I also think it might be the last place my brother went to investigate before he died.  I have to know what’s there, Kou,” she admitted.

“I understand,” he replied, tucking her closer still until she rested under his chin.

Mina could feel her eyelids drooping, and apparently he noticed how close to sleep she was too, because there were no more questions, only the feel of his fingers tracing the intricate patterns on her skin, comforting her.

Relaxing her.

Gently attempting to quiet her mind, and shortly she was asleep.

Mina fell into a dream that left her waking in a cold sweat. 

Mina managed a grand total of four hours of sleep before her dream of her dead brother had her working hard to slow her pulse and respiration.  She couldn’t remember all the details, but the emotions lingered.  Kou reached over and squeezed her palm comfortingly.  He had learned that it was best not to ask her anything when she was first waking up.  Frustratingly for her, even though it was only 8:00 in the morning on a Saturday and they had only laid down four hours ago, Kougami had already been awake and reading.  She thought his sleeping habits were insane, but the annoyed feeling she had over that was enough to send her heart rate back to normal.

Within five minutes she was leaning over him, grabbing Kishio’s notebook, ignoring Kou’s frown, and back to taking notes.  In the back of her mind, she wondered if the reason Kougami didn’t fight her more was because he was just as curious as she was.

After an hour or so, Kougami left to go to the gym.  Tetsuo dropped by, saying he wanted to check on her, but she was pretty sure he was just missing hanging out like they usually did.  Since they had found the notebook, Mina had been ignoring everything and everybody, and especially Tetsuo.  She still felt extremely guilty about the work and stress she had unintentionally piled on him that night that Erra nearly died.  Not only that, but she still cared for him deeply,  and a guilty sort of sharp pain would form just behind her eye whenever he would ask about how things were going with Kougami and she would have to answer him truthfully that they were well. 

Thankfully, he didn’t ask this time.  He just sat quietly, helping where he could.  He left after translating a few Russian sentences and placing a quick kiss to the top of her head.  Her hand laid on her hair for a few moments, where his warmth had just been, until she was pinching the bridge of her nose, wondering how these two men had tangled up her feelings so thoroughly.

The only thing to do was to concentrate completely on the task in front of her.

Three hours later, she was calling Kougami.  She had a location.  Kishio had seemed absolutely certain, unlike with many of the other leads he had followed, that the spot would provide him with answers, and that the bodies of more Unregistered people would be found there.  Kishio’s confidence made Mina confident, and she couldn’t help showing that confidence with a wide grin when Kougami re-entered the room.

Now, the two of them had to find a way to get there.  The first step would be talking to Erra, of course, and if she agreed, then they would have to find a way to convince Ginoza.  That was almost enough to demolish her confidence, but she knew they would have to try.  She was so close to her answers she could practically taste it. 

 

************

She’d been dreaming about him regularly.  Erra couldn’t seem to keep her partner out of her subconscious any more than she could out of her every day thoughts, and the tension was beginning to build.  Build wasn’t the right word.  The tension was threatening to suffocate her.

In her dreams, Ginoza was everything.  He touched all the right places, said all the right words and though they were only dreams, she found herself wishing more and more for them to come true.

Before she had nearly lost her life, she had been wary and unsure of whether or not to explore these kinds of feelings for a man other than Ren.  She hadn’t thought it was right for her to fall in love with somebody new, but after the way Gino had cared for her that night…it was all she could do to keep herself at bay. 

She no longer lied to herself about how much she wanted this man.  She wanted everything about him, and she was kicking herself for ever telling him that she wasn’t sure they should date.  Now, it was becoming almost torturous to spend nearly every day so close to him without them being more than co-workers.

It was late in the afternoon one Friday, and the two inspectors had stayed late again to work on their enormous case-loads.  She reached a point where she couldn’t do anymore, because her computer was no longer letting her input the information in one of the boxes.  Frustrated that she couldn’t find the answer herself, she stood abruptly from her chair and stalked towards the common area with all of the Enforcers’ desks.

She could have asked Ginoza for the answer, most likely, but for some reason she felt embarrassed even thinking about asking for his help on this.  Erra stretched her arm into the cabinet that held all of the extra office supplies, hoping that the manual for her new computer was within reach.  As she patted her hand blindly across the surface of the lowest shelf, she felt a pair of eyes behind her and smiled.  It was Gino, no doubt looking at her figure.  He had become more blatant with admiring glances when they were alone.

In fact, when she stopped to think about it, her partner had been rather bold as of late, initiating more touching and flirting opportunities.  More often than not, it was she who walked away from their encounters blushing and flustered, something to which she was quite unaccustomed.  Distracted, thinking about the last time he had left her stomach tangled in knots, she stretched a bit further to search for her manual on the next higher shelf.  She jerked back, sucking in a sharp hiss of air as the movement brought pain to the fresh scar on her abdomen.

He was quick to her side now, always coddling her as if she were some fragile treasure.  Normally, that attitude would anger her and she would want nothing to do with it, but coming from Gino, it did funny things to her insides from her mind all the way down to a tingling sensation in her toes.

“Stop, Kami. You have a little time yet before you should be stretching that injury.”  Suddenly his breath was on the top of her head.  Long, slender fingers came up and wrapped around her hands, pulling them down. 

“The stitches are out, Gino.”  Erra had tried to sound as confident and sassy as usual, but she wasn’t convinced it came across that way.

“I know that, but I saw the way you just jerked back.  It’s obviously still tender,” he said.  She could feel the warmth of his body radiating against her back.  He was standing just shy of touching her, and Erra found the sensation beyond pleasant.  His left hand released her wrist and put light and relieving pressure to her mostly healed abdominal wound. 

“Does this help?” he asked softly.

Erra nodded.  It was all she could manage, as she began imagining his hands on more places on her body.

“What was it you were looking for, Kami?  Let me get it for you, okay?” 

She almost couldn't answer his question, because his presence was so distracting.  “The new computer manual,” came out much too breathy.  

The redhead could hear the smile behind his words.  He was enjoying his newfound power, and instead of finding that irritating, it only turned her on more. 

“It looks to be pretty far back,” he said, and then for a brief moment he was against her as he strained to bring the book down, left hand still firmly against her scar.  “It’s not out of reach for me, though.  See?  No trouble at all.”  

“I s-“ the word caught briefly as she turned and found how close her face was now to his, “—see.” 

They stood studying one another’s faces for a few moments while Erra tried not to sound as out of breath as she felt.  The hand that had been on her scar had slipped around to the back of her hip when she had spun in his hold, and it felt like all the heat in her body had made its way to that exact spot.

Clearly feeling emboldened by her flustered appearance as she was practically held in his arms, Gino finally had the courage again to make his move.  “Kami…um, Erra…I know we talked about it before, but things feel different now, somehow.  Between us, I mean.  So, I wondered, how would you feel about going out with me sometime next week?  Please forgive me if I’m out of line.” 

Erra smiled her most alluring grin, letting Ginoza know without an answer that she was game.  It was exactly the kind of step she had been dying for him to take.  He returned the smile, releasing her and taking a few steps back.  She felt slight disappointment as he left her space.

She would have to pull herself back together to make this work.  Yes, he made her feel so flustered, but she was still Erra Kamiya, and that meant not getting so worked up over every little glance or compliment or suggestive gaze from someone. 

“So, Inspector, are we planning on playing this off as drinks with a co-worker again, or should I assume this is an actual, real life date?” 

He made as if to straighten his tie.  “An actual 'real life' date, Kamiya,” he scoffed at her choice of phrasing.  He had that fussy look on his face that she found so damned sexy, and she couldn’t help but laugh quietly.

 _Maybe Erra Kamiya doesn’t get worked up over every suggestive look men throw her way, unless it’s this man,_ she thought to herself, enjoying the butterflies only the promise of a first date can bring.

 

 

**_To Be Continued…_ **


	25. Painful Reminders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kougami, Mina, and Erra try to convince Ginoza to go along with their latest plan.
> 
> Ginoza finally manages to take Erra out on a date, but is overly anxious that he'll ruin it before it begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you love the characters and are interested in seeing art or other bio info about them, you can find it here on my DeviantArt page:
> 
> [Art and Bios and Stuff](http://thatgingahninja.deviantart.com/gallery/58932078/Psycho-Pass-Unregistered)

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: Painful Reminders**

“I am not sure how it’s possible, but it seems that you have already forgotten what happened the last time Mina convinced someone go somewhere ‘off the record.’  Have you become an amnesiac?”  Ginoza was moving his glare from one problem enforcer to the other.  Mina and Kougami didn’t flinch, not that he expected them to do so.

Kougami had very earnestly requested the full team meet in Masaoka’s bedroom after working hours, so Ginoza had been prepared to listen to some incredulous ideas, but this… _this_ was beyond insanity.

“I’m serious here.  Have the two of you hit your heads?” he exclaimed.

Erra spoke up from directly beside him, “I think we should go, Gino.”

When he turned, his partner was already meeting his eyes.  Her gaze was hard and unwavering. 

Narrowing his eyes and frowning deeply, Ginoza growled out, “I’m sorry, but I think I misheard you.”

He continued to stare harshly at Erra, neither of them willing to back off, even as Nakamura continued her idiotic argument.

“I have real, hard evidence of another body dump, and I am positive it is connected with the bodies we already found….” Mina explained again.  

“That’s not the part I am having trouble with,” he bit out, trying to regain his bearings.  “I understand _that._   What I don’t understand is why anyone here,” he looked at Kamiya again, who merely raised an eyebrow, the conviction in her eyes derailing him for a moment, “could possibly think it’s a good idea to continue even following this case despite the warnings and close calls we’ve had already,” he finished.

It was bad enough that they wouldn’t even tell him _where_ Nakamura had come up with her “hard evidence.”  He had been given the smallest amount of information possible, and he hated being left in the dark, though he doubted that more information would have changed his hesitation.  How the hell any of them would think that he would willingly put any member of his team in this kind of severe danger again was completely beyond him. 

“Inspector Kamiya nearly died!  Nakamura was severely injured, and we all can assume…” he lowered his voice, “can assume what happened in the medical ward was a direct attempt on her life.  The whole case was erased for a reason, and we’ve been given plenty of warnings to let it lie.”  An image of Akane’s lifeless body carried in Kougami’s arms, flashed through his mind.  “Why the hell would I consent to this madness?”

“Because all those people died.  They died with no record of them being latent criminals.  So many people were murdered all at once, and all the evidence points to the fact that they suffered greatly in the process.  Because the people that were dumped there provided us with enough clues to let us know that a crime was committed, and because we’re supposed to be the police force, aren’t we?  Aren’t you at all worried about what this...”  Mina sounded just as passionate about her cause as usual, but closed her mouth when Erra picked up the explanation.

“Because it’s the right thing to do, Gino.  Mina’s correct.  It’s our job to keep justice and order, and you needed to know what we were planning.  It’s not like we’re asking you to make it mandatory, or even come with us.  We all think it should be voluntary, and you don’t have to g...” 

“ _Damnit_!  That’s not the point, and all of you know it.”  This time he looked directly at Kougami.  Kougami _should_ be agreeing with him, if he cared about Mina or Erra.  Kougami _should_ be taking his side, because both women had come back hurt the last time.  Kougami _should_ be calculating not just the risk for their safety during such an outing, but the possibility of what would happen if the powers that be found out.  The whole investigation had been red flagged and closed across the board.  That was telling enough.  They shouldn’t be poking into it any further.

“There were children in those graves,” Mina said lowly.  “Don’t you even care how they suffered?”

“Do **_not_** mistake my caution for a lack of pity or empathy, Hound Four,” he refuted with a harsh growl.  No amount of emotional manipulation was going to make him think that an unsanctioned outing, one of the caliber they were proposing, was a good idea. 

It felt like something shifted in the room, and Gino realized it was because both Kougami and Mina were looking at Erra.  Mina looked pleading, and Kougami looked like he was waiting.  

Ginoza knew what was happening before Erra even opened her mouth.  They were expecting Kamiya to convince him.  She was their trump card.  Did Erra even understand how underhanded that was?  She probably did, but the other two had convinced her that the cause was more important than her safety.  As she opened her mouth, he stopped Erra with a raised palm. 

“Don’t.  I know almost nothing that I need to know to agree to this,” he said, trying to make her understand. 

“You trust me, correct?” Erra was refusing to make eye contact.

“I do.  I trust you to do what you think is right, but in this situation, I think what may be right is to the detriment...”

“Gino, those people’s families still don’t know that their relatives are dead.  The people they care about just disappeared one day, without a trace, despite that being something we’re all told is impossible in Sybil society.  They are dealing with uncertainty over losing a father, a daughter, a sister, a son,” clearing his throat, Kougami pointedly continued, “a brother… something I know that we both know intimately,” Kougami said. 

Their eyes were locked on each other from that moment on.  Green met gunmetal, searching.  Kou had smashed through the surface of the ice he kept over those dangerous and painful thoughts.   

“Yes, and I am trying to prevent...” Ginoza stopped as Kougami stood up, fidgeting with an unlit cigarette between his fingers.  Gino was struck with the fact that the only reason Kou had not lit the damned thing was because Kamiya’s orders, as a sign of respect.  No one else in the room could have done that.   

The room was silent, other than the whir of the AC.  It felt like time stopped and centered in on Shinya as he moved to reach into his jacket pocket.  Ginoza’s eyes widened when Kou pulled a small action figure from his pocket and placed it in Ginoza’s hand.  It was the one Gino kept locked away in the desk in his office and it was a dirty trick.  What was even more surprising was when Kougami procured a small, old fashioned pencil box from the same inner pocket of his suit jacket.  It was decorated with glittery stickers of hearts and kittens.  Ginoza recognized it in an instant.  It had been Akane’s.  Kougami had given her so much shit for it.   

As Gino’s eyes trembled back and forth between the two objects, Kou’s voice was a little rougher than normal when spoke again after a long, tensed pause.  “Has it even occurred to you that Kagari might have been one of those people?  The kid’s file isn’t even searchable any more.  It’s like they don’t want him to have ever existed…just a nobody who meant nothing to anyone.” 

He sounded like he tried to read Kagari’s file on a regular basis.  Gino wasn’t shocked by this, even though Kou didn’t have clearance for that.  Even Ginoza himself had tried to search for the young redhead’s file once or twice. 

Ginoza snatched the brightly colored action figure with his other hand and squeezed it so hard in his palm if felt like it bruised.  That was fine.  He wanted it to leave a mark.  Maybe, the pain would ground him.  The truth was, he hadn’t dared to think any of those bodies might be his old subordinate… No, that wasn’t accurate.  Even Kougami knew that Ginoza had come to think of the cheerful boy as part of his big, dysfunctional family.  Worse than that, Kougami knew Gino couldn’t forgive himself for not protecting his team.

Rubbing at the back of his neck, Kougami quietly said, “I often ask myself, ‘What would Akane do or say?  What would she want me to do?’ because she was better than me, better than you… and in this case, I know.  She would follow this kind of lead no matter the consequence.  It’s what she died for.”

After a longer silence, where he could feel all the eyes in the room on him, Ginoza spoke again.  “Do you really think that that pit of bodies was his fate,” Gino asked, patiently waiting for a response, but he felt like a stone was in the center of his chest, suffocating him and growing bigger, pushing embarrassing tears to his eyes. 

“I don’t know, Gino.  He has almost officially become an _unperson_ , but he was a perfect target for that kind of thing wasn’t he?  He had no one, other than us, the people who know, yet who still have to bow down to the system or face neutralization,” Kou said, voice lowering to almost a whisper, as though saying it hurt.  “What if all of those people are the same, Ginoza?”

Kou’s earlier words rung in his ears.

_Better than me, better than you._

Oh, how true that was.

_Don’t want him to have ever existed._

That was true, too.  After the system had basically buried all the files concerning Kagari, Ginoza had not looked back.  It hurt too much.  Kagari had been a good kid.

_Unperson._

It was the only piece of contraband Kougami had convinced him to read, and it had effected his psycho-pass so badly, no other banned material had been pushed into his hands.  _1984_ had upset Ginoza on a visceral level, and had put ideas into his head that he had worked hard to get rid of over the years. 

“Unperson” fit the situation so perfectly that he couldn’t fault the word choice.

_He had no one, other than us._

“Fine.  Fine.  We’ll hold a meeting including the rest of the team to find out who wants to do this.”  The lump in his throat wouldn’t go away.  “I’m not promising anything, but if Masaoka and Kunizuka are also in favor, I won’t continue to get in your way.” 

Nakamura’s face lit up.  She knew, as did he, that the other two Enforcers would certainly say yes.  As she began excitedly talking about more plans, Ginoza stood in a daze, and left the room as calmly as possible.  Alone in the restroom, he cried silently.  It wasn’t until he stopped that he noticed the small toy still in his hand, red from the trickle of blood that had slowly been finding its way down the figurine to pool on the bathroom floor.

 

********

When Erra had called the meeting, Masaoka had merely thought it was a little out of character for her to have them come together at such a late hour on a day when the majority of them were considered off from work.  It was his son’s input— the sound of his voice, really, over the communicator that let him know this would be anything _but_ a run of the mill meeting.  It seemed that a lot of things weren’t very run of the mill anymore.  The old inspector couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or bad thing.  If anything, it was certainly a worrisome thing.  Not for him, he didn’t give two shits about the rules, but he had always prayed for better from his son.

As they talked through the proposed mission and what would be needed, Masaoka watched his son’s face carefully, waiting for a tell, something that would indicate spite or anger or even some hesitation.  When he found nothing of the sort, Masaoka spared a glance to Erra.  Was she the one who had convinced Nobuchika to do this?  For certain, Mina was the one who had planted this seed, but who had watered it?

“This obviously has to be completely off the books.  By Sybil’s standards, this case is closed.  If you don’t want to go, it is completely understandable,” Kamiya assured. 

“I don’t know exactly what we are going to find, but I plan to be prepared for any eventuality.  All evidence suggests that it will be another mass grave, possibly even larger than the first.”  Mina’s voice was timbered with determination. 

“We are on the books as going out for a team building exercise, but there was no way I could twist that enough to excuse getting all the supplies we will need.  If you do decide to go, all help procuring the items on this list…” Erra paused to hand out a few sheets of paper, “…would be greatly appreciated.”

Masaoka raised his eyebrows at the fact that he was looking at an actual piece of paper, not an electronic document.  All items were handwritten in Erra’s neat scrawl.  They really were keeping this as far from Sybil as possible.  He was mildly impressed. 

“We obviously will need for all electronics to be disconnected from Sybil.  Unfortunately, that will include our Dominators,” Erra finished with a brief uncomfortable glance at her partner, who was still avoiding eye contact with anyone.   

Everyone was silent at this piece of information, until Masaoka began muttering to himself, “I can probably get at least half of these items within a day if I talk to...” 

“We don’t want to know, old man,” Ginoza interrupted.  “Just let us know what you do manage to get.” 

It was the first full sentence his son had spoken since everyone had convened, and the first time he had looked up at his estranged father.

“How did you get this location?” Kunizuka asked shrewdly. 

Masaoka had to admit, he was curious about that, too, but he had gleaned enough to know that that information wasn’t about to be shared.

“I...” Mina gulped, looking a little panicked. 

“We can’t divulge that just yet.  There are people who could be hurt or killed, if we reveal that information,” Erra stated firmly. 

Yayoi still looked skeptical, but paused when she made eye contact with Kougami.  Masaoka watched them stare for a handful of seconds and was about to say something to get the group back on track, but Kou spoke, drawing everyone’s attention. 

“Let’s cut out the bullshit.  There are people who are in danger if we reveal our sources, but that isn’t the issue, and we all know it.  Something grievous has happened to the people we found, and justice wasn’t done, because the system is flawed.”

Masaoka’s eyes widened with Kougami saying something so bold against the system in front of Ginoza, but instead of the rant he would have expected, his son caught Kougami’s eye and continued, “The issue is that we all have had experiences pointing to flaws in the Sybil system.”

Masaoka’s heart stopped briefly at the admission his son had willingly given.  He never thought a day like this would come.  In fact, he’d been more than content to let Nobuchika continue turning a blind eye to the flaws in the system…anything to keep him from turning out like his latent father.  Masaoka felt those hopes inside him disintegrate, as he realized that things had gotten so out of hand that not even Nobuchika could continue pretending.

Ginoza swallowed thickly, a sign that he was feeling emotional, and it made Masaoka want to go stand beside him and make contact somehow.  He wanted to comfort his son, maybe even talk him out of this.  There was no reason he had to go, too, surely.  It would be safer if Nobuchika stayed out of it and could claim he had no idea, but Masaoka could see it all over his son’s face.  There was no way Nobuchika would allow it. 

Kougami picked the line of conversation up seamlessly.  “We’ve all lost someone who was unaccounted for and forgotten by the system.”  Steel eyes swept across the room making poignant eye contact with every member.  “We need to succeed where the system failed, because this is about people, not computers.” 

Masaoka started what he knew would be a unanimous decision, stating, “I’m in.” 

They all remembered Kagari and Akane, despite the system’s attempts to bury their existence and deaths.  It had affected them so, that even the dreams he had for his son were no longer reachable.  If Nobuchika was willing to put literally everything on the line for this, there was no way his father was going to let him go it alone.

 

********

This was it.  The day Ginoza had been aiming for over the last several months was here.

He was waiting in the breakroom at HQ for Kami, just as she had asked.  He had suggested they go to one of the bars in the building, so she said it would be easiest to just meet him there.  The Sunday night before their big secret mission seemed to be the only night they were both free, so Gino made a spur of the moment decision on where to take the woman based entirely on his familiarity with the establishment.

Now the man found that he couldn't sit still, and after probably the fiftieth time straightening his clothing, he rose from the couch and started to pace.  There was a pen laying on the coffee table that soon found its way into his hand and was being rolled like a baton between fingers.  Nerves were getting the best of Ginoza, but why shouldn’t they?  He had never seriously dated anyone, and now that it mattered, he didn't want to mess it up.  He began worrying that she would find him insufferable given too much time alone together.   

Trying to think of something more pleasant, he wondered what she would be wearing.  He kind of hoped it might be a short skirt.  He both loved and hated her short skirts, though he had only seen her in one twice.  Her office skirts were tight, but often fell to her knees.  Thinking much too hard about how Erra’s legs might look this evening, the twirling pen slipped from his fingers to the floor.  Chiding himself, he hoped that whatever she wore, he could find something appropriate to say without embarrassing himself. 

After picking up the pen, he began obsessing over all possible conversations they may or may not have.  He heard footsteps enter, knowing they were too heavy to be his date, but turned as he heard his father’s gravelly voice.   

“Son, you look like you’re about to pace a hole through the floor.”  The old man's eyes fell immediately to the pen, which kept up with its dance, despite the distraction.   

“What are you doing here?” Gino snapped. 

“Looking for something I stashed in here.”  With a grumble he moved the cushions off the couch, searched, and then shook his head.  “You shouldn’t be here so late, it’s not good for your hue to be working this late, so often.  Not that I'm not happy to see you.  I just worry about you, ya know?”  The old man knelt to the area under the sink where all the cleaning supplies were kept. 

“Don’t talk to me.” 

While Masaoka didn’t even flinch, Gino furrowed his brows.  He actually hadn’t meant to respond so rudely.  Since the business with Chief Kaisei losing her trust in him and him losing part of his trust in the system after Tsunemori’s death, he had allowed himself to be more familiar with his father than in the past.  A part of Ginoza wondered what he would do if his dad stopped giving him these little lectures.  As it was, it made it hard to keep his distance like he thought he believed was the safest course of action.    

“It’s just us, son.  Are you trying to stress yourself out and end up like your old man?”  Masaoka stood up with a liquor bottle in hand, but his gaze was on Ginoza, who could tell his father's words hurt him to say. 

“No!”  Still seeing the anxious look on the old man’s face, he sighed.  “Damn it, dad.  I’m waiting for Inspector Kamiya.  I was going to take her to get a drink,” he answered, hating how much like a teenager he sounded.   

“Really?  Like a date?” his father asked, sounding surprised and slightly impressed.

“No, not ‘like a date.’  It _is_ a date.  Don’t look so happy about it, alright?  It makes me uncomfortable.”

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Masaoka laughed briefly and Nobuchika thought he spotted pride in his father’s eyes as he studied the nice clothes Ginoza was wearing.  He chuckled to himself again, before his face went flat.

“Wait…if it’s a date, what are you doing waiting around the office?  You’re taking her somewhere here?!  In this building?” 

“What’s wrong with that?” Ginoza barked defensively, though it wasn’t like he had been one hundred percent confident in his plan to begin with.

“Nothing.  Nothing,” his father mumbled.  He raised his eyebrows and continued, “I mean, nothing if you don’t care that your evening will be constantly interrupted by nosy PSB peers who recognize you.  It would be curious enough just seeing you out, right?  You’re not exactly the socializing type.”

That was true, but generally people knew that Ginoza wasn’t interested in making friends, so on the rare occasions he did go out, his peers rarely approached him.  His father continued to elaborate.

“Not to mention, you know what everyone thinks of immediately when they see that beautiful partner of yours.  Men will be trying to woo her right out from under you.  She's a popular topic of conversation around these parts.”  At that, Masaoka unscrewed the top off of the bottle in his hand and took a big swig.  He shook his head for a minute, as though trying to understand Gino's logic.    

Grimacing, Ginoza stated, “Look, quit being such a dirty old man all the time.  Not everyone thinks like you.  Besides, what makes you so sure she would even pay attention to other—“ 

“Oh, son,” Masaoka suddenly said in a pitying voice, eyes fixed on something behind the inspector.  “I’m afraid you may be way over your head on this one,” he stated, clapping a hand on Ginoza's shoulder. 

Scoffing, Gino muttered, “Thanks for the vote of confid—,“ before Masaoka spun him around and Ginoza spotted Erra walking towards them.  “ _Hell_ ,” he finished in a hoarse sort of whisper. 

His dad was right.  He was _definitely_ in over his head.  She looked incredible.  It wasn’t a short skirt that she wore.  It was worse…or better, he wasn’t sure just yet.  She looked very trendy with a loose, off-the-shoulder top, above-the-knee black high-heeled boots, and high-waisted shorts so tight and so short he could make out the shape of her ass better than in any skirt he’d ever seen on the woman.  It took a minute before Ginoza could even remember how to swallow, let alone breathe.

“Hello there, Sassafras.  You look dazzling, as usual,” Masaoka stated as he took her hand and spun her around to look her over, giving her a wink after the full rotation.

Nobuchika narrowed his eyes at Masaoka’s overall flirty-ness, but then turned his attention back to his partner who had stopped directly in front of him.  “I hate to agree with this man, but for once he’s absolutely right.  I feel stunned.”   

She blushed at his comment, giving him a slight surge of confidence.  Complimenting others had never been a talent of his.  Of course, he had never seen the point in flattery, but the words just seemed to come out that way when he looked at Kamiya.  Her pale hand came up and smoothed his collar.  He knew it was straight, after the way he had obsessively checked it earlier, and that she had just done it to touch him, which only caused his heart to beat faster.  Already, he was desperate to lean into her touch, but he was frozen in place as he gazed at her face so close to his.

“You flatterers,” she said, looking only at him.  Then Erra turned herself to look at the enforcer, “...both of you.  What brings you to the breakroom at this hour, Pops?”  The redhead had now positioned herself at her date’s side.   

Masaoka raised the glass bottle.  “I was looking for a little libation, and I have a preference for a brand they do not sell here.” 

“Why not keep it in your room?” she asked, narrowing her brow and giving him a wry smile.

“The one in my room ran out.  I have extras all over for just such an occasion.” 

Ginoza knew the extras were everywhere so that Masaoka could avoid having his son throw them all away.  His father drank way too often, but Gino had long since learned that he would never find all of the bottles.  He’d given up the search years ago, but his father still persisted.

Masaoka’s smile widened further still as he marveled, “Really, Sass, I didn't realize you could look any better, but your outfit is…heh…well, it’s very flattering.”   

Kamiya laughed and shoved playfully at the old man's shoulder.  He feigned injury, as she said, “I bet you say that to all the ladies.”   

“Only when it's true, my dear,” he raised his eyebrows and gave her another obviously appreciative glance.   

By this point, Ginoza was ready to drag her right out the door.  His father was much too flirty for his taste, but before he could even begin to usher her on their way, she questioned, “So, why exactly do you have a stash of hidden Yamazaki, like a squirrel avoiding a long booze winter?”

“Ho-ho!  Gino, mind this feisty one.  She could be trouble.  The lady knows her whisky.”  Glancing at Kamiya again, seemingly ignoring her question, he asked, “Would you like some?”   

She said nothing as she stepped to the coffee machine and grabbed three little paper cups from beside it.  Returning to stand beside the enforcer, Masaoka poured her a drink.  As she swallowed she didn't even wince, something that Nobuchika could appreciate.  His dad's liquor was smooth but strong.  Before he knew it, she had pushed another of the little cups into his hands.  He felt the corners of his mouth pull down as he eyed it.   

“Ginoza, it isn't poisoned.  I promise,” Masaoka stated.   

His green eyes widened.  Is that what his father assumed he was thinking?

“That’s not…” Ginoza sighed uncomfortably, foregoing a full explanation in favor of the much easier compliance.

One swig, and he had to admit, it was smooth, the same as it always was on those rare occasions he had joined Kougami and Masaoka for a drink, which seemed so long ago now.

Drinking whisky didn’t tend to loosen him up, however, and he didn’t want to go on such an important evening with Erra feeling depressed and anxious.  He set the remainder of the drink on the table, Erra’s eyes flitted curiously between him and the drink, and his father quickly downed the rest himself.

Masaoka pressed on, taking the lead as naturally as he so often did.  He whistled low and nudged Nobuchika’s side, musing, “Son, we must have done something right in this life to end up with a woman like Erra Kamiya in front of us nearly every day, huh?”

It wasn’t that he necessarily disagreed with his father.  It was that Gino was growing increasingly anxious over how easily the flattery came to his father, and the more anxious he grew, the more difficult it was for him to say anything at all, let alone think of anything at all _worth_ saying to this poor woman who had somehow agreed to have mercy on him and take him on what could only be a pity date.

The silence grew longer still.  Embarrassment began to set in, as the old enforcer clapped Gino on the back and started in on him.  “See?  This is why you have such trouble getting along with people.  Not talking.  Not drinking.  Not smiling.  Not relaxing.  You always look like you’re so above it all.  You ask this gorgeous partner of yours if she’s impressed with that nasty attitude you insist on keeping.  Things might be a little easier for you if you’d take that stick outta your—”

Gino had felt a knot forming in his back with how tense he had become as his father spoke, and he refused to look at his date, worried that she was probably nodding her head in agreement.  He jumped when she interrupted his father with all the fire and conviction that she was becoming known for amongst their colleagues. 

“Enough.  That’s going too far, Pops.”  Erra’s words weren’t shouted, but they were sharp enough to command all the attention in the room.

“Look…you know I love you and I respect your opinion on most things, but you have _got_ to cut him some slack here.  I _get_ that you spend most of your time worried about this man, but you can’t force him into something by being an asshole about it.  Don’t shove him at me, ok?  And don’t put words in my mouth about him having a ‘nasty attitude.’  I know exactly the type of man he is, and trust me…he certainly doesn’t need _anyone’s_ help to impress me.”

Stunned into stillness, Masaoka muttered, “I apolo-“

“Don’t apologize.  Just don’t do it again.  His way isn’t your way, but that doesn’t make it wrong.”  Erra grabbed the whisky and took a quick swig before shoving it back at Masaoka’s chest and clapping him on the bicep, where the faint clink of metal could be heard.

Still searching for an adequate response, Erra beat him to it again, adding, “Besides, there’s something really amusing and kind of sexy about that “nasty” attitude of his.  There are plenty of women into those characteristics of his that cause the two of you to butt heads.  I’m definitely one of them.”

Erra smiled defiantly at Masaoka and tilted her head in a way that Ginoza was quite familiar with.  That tilt meant that she was daring his father to further argue the point.  If the old man was smart, he wouldn’t say a word.

“I stand corrected,” Masaoka said quietly, a broad, uncontainable grin growing on his face in place of the shock.

Ginoza could feel the heat at the tops of his ears and knew he was blushing.  Before his father could say anything else, Gino tugged Erra away from the office with a firm grip on her hand.  “We’ll be late,” he said, trying to remember the last time he had felt so flattered.

“For what?” she asked, twisting his grip until their fingers laced together and the heat from his ears moved down to the back of his neck.

“I haven’t decided yet.”

He said nothing else as they got in the elevator to head to the parking garage.

Looking at him with a soft smile, probably amused by his blush, Erra stated, “I thought we were going somewhere here.”

“I changed my mind,” he started when someone got on the elevator, causing Ginoza to nervously release Erra’s hand.  The two of them noticed that in his haste, Gino had accidentally landed them on an up elevator.  It went up six floors before the woman riding with them stepped off and another stepped on.  Sighing he quietly added, “I don’t want ‘this’ to keep happening.”

“You said ‘casual.’  I’m not dressed for anything nicer than the bars upstairs.”  That woman got off on the next floor and they descended two more while he addressed her concern.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know how exceptional you look tonight.”

“You…” but she paused as the elevator door opened and a man from accounting joined them.  Her face was a remarkably attractive shade of pink to the inspector in that moment, and he would have commented had they been alone.  Kami looked as if she wanted to retort desperately, but she respected the fact that he would be unhappy if she did while they were not alone.

No one else joined the three, and they rode in awkward silence until they all exited into the parking garage.  Erra followed slowly behind, and Ginoza walked steadily towards the car, trying to think of ideas for the right place to take her.  He didn’t notice that the man had branched away until Kami caught up to him.  She grabbed his hand, which he didn’t shuck away, and asked somewhat shyly, “You think I look exceptional?”

“You know I do.  You know I always think you look incredible.  I can’t even manage to be discreet anymore, it would seem.”  His tone came out much more irritated than he intended.

“Are you mad that you find me attractive?” she asked as he opened the door and helped her into the passenger side of his car.

“No.”  Ginoza thought for a moment as he got into the driver side of the car and started its auto-drive feature to head into the city district with the most restaurants. 

“You know…Yes, actually.  I am,” he began unloading.  “I’m irritated that I can’t be strictly professional with my partner, like the others before you.  It’s annoying that you’re so damned beautiful, and that I care for you beyond what a mere colleague should, and that I spend entirely too much time thinking of nothing but you.”

Glancing only briefly at her, he noticed her hand loosely covering her mouth, eyes wide as she let him continue, clearly not about to interrupt his honest confession.

“I hate that you can tell what emotions I’m feeling before _I_ can.  I’m frustrated by how important seeing your happiness is to me—especially after not being able to protect...” he paused, angry at the memory of a syringe plunged forcefully into her chest, shivering at the thought.  “Most of all, I’m disgusted that I can’t keep from staring at your beauty like any common man in the city, with absolutely no willpower or control over how you make me react.”

Kamiya didn’t give any chance for pause when she admonished, “You’re very foolish sometimes, ‘you know that?”

Nobuchika’s chest tightened and he furrowed his brow.  He deserved to be scolded for being so forward with her. It had all been much ruder than he meant for it to be.  He was about to turn to face out the window, until Kami tugged his sleeve in her direction. 

As jade met with teal, she added seriously, “You’re about as far from ‘any common man’ as you can get, Gino.”  He wasn’t sure that was a compliment until she followed it with, “Please don’t sell yourself short so often.”

There was a brief pause as the car pulled itself into a downtown parking garage.  “Besides,” Kami started again, “you can’t pretend you don’t know I’m ‘disgustingly’ attracted to you either, you big idiot.”

Suddenly, he felt very aware of the heat in his cheeks, but he didn’t immediately turn from her as he normally would.  He didn’t mind letting her see that it had embarrassed him.  The longer he looked at her, the more cherry her own cheeks grew, until she was the one who looked away.

“So, where are we going?” Erra questioned.

He knew what part of town they were in, but he hadn’t been given a chance to decide on a destination.  He had simply wanted to get away from work and into somewhere more private with her as quickly as possible.

“I still don’t know.  I’ve never done this before,” he responded, brain working quickly to think of a place that might bring his favorite smile to her lips.

“You’ve never done what?”  She sounded nervous waiting for the answer, and when he looked at her, he could see that something had dawned on her face.  “You’ve never been on a date before, Inspector?”

“What?  Of course, I have!” he answered hurriedly, before continuing with honesty.  “I mean—well, not like this…but I have had basic dates.  I’ve never taken someone outside of the leisure floors at the tower.  It’s usually just a few quick drinks.”

“Why?” she asked.  “I thought you were the type to follow all the rules.  I’ve often wondered why you weren’t already married to your intended Sybil-suggested spouse.”

It was a question Ginoza was used to getting.  People, in general, seemed to make it their business to learn why there weren’t more women in his life, or **_a_** woman in his life…as if it implied something was fundamentally wrong with his character.  He hoped his partner wasn’t one of those people.  He hoped he would be able to make clear to Erra that he felt much differently towards her than any person he’d yet met.

“There wasn’t a match.  It’s not unusual for people working for the CID not to be assigned matches, since the system prefers us to be ‘married to the job’ so to speak,” he responded simply.  “Inspectors often date within the MWPSB.  It’s not that I didn’t.  There was just never a woman I was interested in enough to actually spend more time with than just the one evening.  They weren’t really dates as much as a means to an end, if you know what I’m saying?”

“Who wouldn’t?  A string of one-night stands?  How scandalous, Ginoza.  I’m a bit surprised at you,” she said, sounding genuinely taken aback.

“Don’t start that!” he scolded. 

He was growing irritated with the direction of this conversation already.  She was studying him closely.  He felt exposed and naked as she analyzed him with the scrutinizing eyes of a therapist.  She probably didn’t even realize she was doing it, but still, Nobuchika could feel the anxiety creeping in that he would never complete a whole evening with this woman without feeling inferior. 

Sharing about himself had always made him uncomfortable, but tonight there was the added fear that alienating Kamiya would be the end result.  He was sure he was ruining the date before it had even truly begun. 

He continued, “It’s not really that unusual, is it?  Both parties had the same goal in mind—tension release.  It’s a well-known suggested method of lowering one’s crime co-efficient.”

“How very clinical of you, Inspector,” his partner responded, voice a little cooled.  “I’m afraid you may have missed something important by only seeking a lighter colored hue in those women.  There are feelings involved in such things.”

Ginoza shrugged.  His past was what it was, and he had never felt ashamed of how he approached sex.  For him it had been about therapy, willing to try anything a few times that might keep his hue clear.  Surely as a therapist herself, Kami could understand that.

She said nothing further, though, and he felt the nerves growing stronger.  He had never had an actual romantic relationship.  That didn’t mean he was unable.  Considering her previous marriage at a somewhat young age, he didn’t expect the redhead’s past could be _that_ much different. 

Afraid of her long silence and terrible at social interaction, as always, he questioned, “I don’t see what there would have been to miss.  You followed all the rules, didn’t you?  Just how many men have _you_ dated seriously, _Mrs_. Kamiya?”

Immediately her teal eyes misted, she furrowed her brows, and frowned at him, before turning her glare out the car window instead. 

“Fair enough,” she answered quietly, a finger discreetly slipping up to flick at the corner of her eyelid.

He hadn’t meant to upset her, but like usual, he hadn’t thought about the consequences of the words he chose in advance.  He knew by looking at her that he had led her into thoughts of her lost husband.  By trying so hard not to make an ass of himself, he had managed to do just that.

Suddenly it seemed like they had been sitting in that parking garage for much too long. 

He made a decision on a nearby restaurant he thought might cheer her up after his idiotic comments— one he never would be caught dead in, otherwise.  Steeling himself, he got out of the driver’s seat and walked nervously around to open her car door.  Squatting down level with her, he looked her in the eye and apologized. 

“I didn’t mean to come across so callously, Kami.”

Still grimacing, she nodded slowly, responding, “It isn’t as if it’s a new personality trait for you, Inspector.”

 _This is going well,_ he thought sarcastically. 

Gino breathed out a long sigh as he stood.  Even though he knew they were true, her words still stung. 

Holding out his hand, he waited for what felt like hours for her to take it so he could help her out of the car.  As the seconds ticked on, he turned away from her, his hand still outstretched, and he briefly debated leaving.  Ginoza was still considering calling off the whole thing, until Erra not only took his hand, she stood and placed her hand on his arm, urging him to face her. 

He slowly looked at her, ashamed of his awkwardness.  Her face was soft again, and it was apparent that she had brushed off his offensive comment.  Her talent for that never failed to amaze him.  He could think of nothing to say that would convey his appreciation, and found himself stuck staring at this woman in awe, for the millionth time. 

She spoke sincerely as she asked, “You never met a woman you wanted to spend more than one evening with?  Not one?  Gino, you really think _I’m_ the first worth such distinction?”  Her smile was genuine, not taunting him with her remark, and he was caught off guard.  He thought back to what he had said in the car, and his face was crimson again.

“Well, that’s…” he began, having no idea where his statement was going.

She giggled faintly.  “—But then…are you telling me you aren’t interested in trying to get me into bed tonight?  I think I might feel slightly offended, sir,” she teased.

“Do you have to do that?” he asked, frustrated over his rapidly spreading blush and her insistence at ruining her sincerity. 

“Of course,” Kamiya nodded, smiling mischievously at him. 

And then he couldn’t help it any longer.  He laughed softly in spite of himself.  Her cheekiness and expression were too much.  Ginoza adored it, and it had a way of putting him at ease.  He was learning more every day that nothing calmed him as quickly as one of Erra’s smiles meant just for him.

Offering her his right arm, he said, “Let’s just eat, shall we?”  Nobuchika felt relieved as she slipped her arm through the crook in his, and he led her out into the city.

 

_**To Be Continued...** _

 


	26. The Light From Her Sun & Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All the relationships advance in this chapter. Tetsuo finally learns the truth about where Mina comes from and is inspired to make a bold confession. Kougami knows for certain he wants Mina more than any woman he ever has before. Gino and Erra continue their date and learn much more about the darkness in each other's pasts, only cementing their growing bond even more. The whole team prepares for the secret mission that Kishio's diary has led them all in to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!!
> 
> Celebrate with our longest chapter post ever! (which may or may not be a good thing. ;-p ) Within two weeks at the absolute latest, the next chapter, which starts with the action again, will be posted, as well. Hopefully it will help to make up for our terribly erratic posting schedule. Thank you again for reading and enjoying our story!!
> 
> Let's have a great year!!
> 
> If you love the story and would like to see art and more info about the characters, you can check out some wonderful stuff here at [My DeviantArt ^__^](https://thatgingahninja.deviantart.com/)

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: The Light of Her Sun & Moon**

The restaurant Ginoza chose for them was something Erra had been completely unprepared for.  Walking in, she immediately saw a long hall lined with tall statues of red and white playing cards covered in hearts.  It was clear from the start that the eatery had been designed with a whimsical A.I. aesthetic.  Most businesses these days were always trying to outdo one another with the newest and best holographic skins the market had to offer, and the restaurant they had entered certainly seemed to have invested a great deal into bringing their theme to life.  This didn’t seem like a place her partner would ever willingly choose on his own.

Turning to him with a look of amusement, she asked, “What is this, Gino?”

He already looked exceedingly uncomfortable.  “You told me once that one of your favorite books was _Alice in Wonderland_.  When we were in the car, I remembered passing this place several times on my drive home.  It seems to be quite a bit more themed than I expected, however…” he adjusted his glasses, glancing around in distressed disapproval.

Aside from feeling the growing urge to laugh at Gino’s failed attempt to hide his dismay, Erra felt that familiar fluttering response her partner seemed to always manage...the one that tickled at the back of her neck and brought out the brightest of her smiles.  Grinning, she said, “I don’t even remember telling you that.”

Still surveying the Wonderland-style decorations with distaste, he off-handedly replied, “It was several months ago, I think…on the way to our cars one night.  You laughed that I chose Turgenev, saying you hadn’t pictured me as such a nihilist.”

Kamiya _did_ vaguely recall that exchange now and felt a little guilty over insulting something he enjoyed, especially since she now knew that

Ginoza almost never spent his free time reading fiction of any sort.  It was a feat that Kougami had ever managed to push any novels past his hard-fact obsessed friend.  

“I hardly knew anything about you at the time.  I didn’t know Tomomi was your father.  It’s a well-written book, of course.  I’m sorry to have laughed.”

His eyes shifted back to her from one of the hostesses guiding another guest across the room, and he shrugged.  “It’s not as if I have many titles to compare.  I was interested in the title, and then found I couldn’t put it down.  That might be the only time that’s ever happened.”

Feeling pleased over Ginoza giving her personal details about his life, Erra moved a little closer, placing her hand around his forearm as she gazed up at her date.

“Honestly,” Gino began again, “I was only pleased to have made you laugh like that.  Besides, your choice was clearly just as silly,” he said gesturing around the restaurant.

Erra blushed at both his compliment and his jab.  Although, scanning around them now, she could see how foolish it looked to someone who hadn’t read the book.  The waitresses were all dressed in blue dresses with white petticoats and black ribbons in their hair.  The hostesses had variations of Mad Hatter costumes in flashy colors (all eyeing the two gawkers suspiciously).  There were strange tables all around with various themes, and it was quite noisy with loud giggling from the mostly female patrons.

She turned her teal eyes back to Ginoza and saw that he seemed to be shifting his glasses more than usual with his increasing anxiety.  “I know you chose this because of my love for the story and there couldn’t have possibly been a sweeter gesture than that,” she said, glad that the corner of his mouth twitched a tiny, grateful smile over her approval.  Kamiya raised her eyebrows and slipped her arm securely back into the crook of his.  “Let’s go somewhere else, though.  This place feels a little overwhelming for me.”

He sighed, sounding extremely relieved as he turned quickly to lead them back outside.  “Oh, thank God!”

The redhead couldn’t help but laugh at how fast he seemed to have them on the street again, and he smiled wide at her joyful sounds.

“Oh, Gino!” she began, beyond pleased at his expression.  “That smile really suits you!  You should try it out more often.”

He huffed loudly, suddenly embarrassed to have been complimented.

Erra shook her head, deciding to keep the fact that it looked even better on him when he blushed to herself.  “Let’s go somewhere you know has good food.  What’s your favorite?”

“Bread...baguettes,” he stated plainly, pausing with a pointed stare.  When Erra said nothing, Ginoza continued on slowly, still eyeing her with suspicion that made Erra feel as though he had expected a certain response.  “There’s a café on the way to my apartment with delicious pastries and sandwiches and coffees and rolls and aren’t you going to make fun of my favorite food being bread?”

Furrowing her brow at the question, she asked, “Why would I laugh about that?  Bread is amazing…and pastries are even more amazing.”

“Most people laugh and say it’s a boring choice that suits my boring personality,” he complained.

Now she did laugh.  “By most people, do you mean Kougami?”

“And Masaoka,” he grumbled.  

“What could be boring about a food with so many variations?  Plus, Pops’ favorite food is probably whisky or something!”  The comment garnered a short snort of laughter from her partner before she continued, “Besides, I’m certainly in no position to laugh over someone’s favorite food.  Mine is basically humiliating.”

“How can food tastes be humiliating?”

She answered him in a voice so mumbled that he stopped walking, leaned closer, cocked his head to the side and asked her to repeat herself.

“It’s the synthetic yakisoba from the food machines,” she muttered.

“You’re kidding.”  She shook her head.  “There _must_ be something you like more than that,” Gino stated incredulously.

She shook her head again, grimacing a little while she waited for the inevitable.

Standing back to his full height, and starting them walking again, he began the argument she had heard from her friends and husband so many times before.  “You are aware that we’re Japanese, aren’t you?  I mean, the food machines are certainly most popular, but there are still fresh noodle shops everywhere!  Those kind taste like styrofoam!”

She snickered, knowing full well what most people thought of her comfort food.  “Kind of…I guess...if styrofoam was salty and hot and delicious.  They were the only thing my dad could manage to make…even with the A.I. help, until I was old enough to show him.  He’s always been horrible at that stuff.  I have many happy memories of my little brother and I enjoying those things with my dad, and they just…I don’t know…they remind me of home.  I love them.  Real noodles almost don’t taste right to me after that.”

“I didn’t know you had a younger brother,” Gino added sounding genuinely interested.

“Mm.  Jin Himura.  He was the most hilarious little guy… even after, for a while.”

“After what?”  Erra hadn’t meant to say that, it had just slipped.  She shook her head with a wry smile on her lips, and so he changed the question.  “Were you raised by your father?”

“Most of the time.  Basically.”  It was too late to contain all of it, so she gave out what little information she was willing to share.

“What about your mother?”

“Mm-mm,” she hummed, shaking her head again.  “Maybe some other time, Gino.  I’m afraid that’s something I don’t want ruining our first date.”

Nodding firmly, he looked away from her, but placed his hand comfortingly over the hand she had resting on his arm.  The two continued walking in silence until he stopped abruptly and groaned, “Of course it is!”  Looking at him with puzzled expression, she followed his finger with her eyes until she saw the red “closed” sign lit up on a small darkened building.

Laughing, she asked, “This is it?  Why wouldn’t it be, right?”  She smiled at him and pulled him by the hand to stand looking longingly into the windows.  She could see the little round tables with chairs, the coffee station, and the bakery cases already empty for the evening, awaiting the fresh selections that would fill them come morning.  Little posters hung on the windows showing some of what the café offered.

Erra smiled excitedly at her partner, ignoring the look of anxiety on his face.  “I think I would have ordered only desserts.  I see, at least, three pastries I would want to sample just on that one poster!”

Finally, Ginoza smirked at her.  “Only three, huh?”

She was glad that she’d derailed his disappointment for now.  “What about you?  Which dessert would you have ordered?”

“Dessert?  We haven’t even eaten dinner yet, Erra,” he complained.  With her giving him her best pout, he sighed, “The honey macarons, I guess.”

Kami was suddenly thrilled.  “You’re in luck!  It just so happens that I am an excellent baker, at least according to Ren, and macarons are one of my specialties…although, I’ve only ever made almond and caramel.”  She muttered the last part.  “Specialties” may have been a bit of a stretch, but she really _did_ have experience making them.

“We can just use the food synthesizer.  That’s too much trouble.”

“No way!  You’ve tried really hard this evening.  It’s only fair that I put in a little effort.  Besides, I would love to try making honey macarons.  Baking is fun for me.  Honest.  You should see all of the dessert pans I have at home.  Take me to the grocery nearest your apartments.”

He looked reluctant to agree, but a few seconds of him staring at the excited grin on her face seemed to convince him.  “Caramel macarons _do_ sound quite good, I suppose.”

 

 ************  
After several minutes of spinning mindlessly in circles on his doctor’s stool, Tetsuo slammed his palms flat against the desk in front of him.  Sudden loud rattling from everything in the vicinity startled two patients awake.  The guilty nurse helped calm them and ease them back to sleep before returning to his chair.  Instead of spinning it, he switched to a common habit of his—twisting the red, braided bracelet on his wrist that his sister had given him so long ago.

Seki felt bitter, plain and simple.  He couldn’t remember a time that he had ever felt this bitter, not even after ending up in solitary for a while at the psychiatric hospital.  It wasn’t that he didn’t understand the situation.  He truly got it, but it didn’t stop the bitterness or his slowly increasing jealousy from growing.

Of course, he couldn’t go with the team on the top secret mission…couldn’t go with Mina.  He wasn’t really a team member for Division One, after all.  He worked for the bureau in general, the same as Shion, and taking the two of them along on what was supposed to be some “team building exercise” would have raised more than a little suspicion.

Still, it was frustrating to be left almost completely in the dark.  Mina had yet to fess up to what exactly was going on these last few weeks, but he had had plenty of time to come up with his own theories.  None of which, he felt, warranted this level of secrecy from Mina towards him.  She should know by now that he would never endanger her, or any person on the team, for that matter—but especially not her.

He might be less anxious about not being able to join them on their secret expedition if he knew for certain what the hell was going on, and what the hell he should be waiting for when they all showed up at HQ again.  He was terrified that Mina would come back worse than the last time, or maybe not even at all.

Just as he went through his most outlandish theory again in his head, the recognizable footsteps of Mina’s worn boots approached.  He spun his stool to follow as she strode over to him, hopped up on the desk, kicked off her boots, and started swinging her legs.  He noted that her socks were striped purple and gray, and that a hole in one had her little toe sticking out.

There was an out-of-place, bright pink polish on the nail that must have been Inspector Kamiya’s handiwork, and he smiled briefly at the image of Mina complaining loudly while Erra decorated her toes.  His gaze began to trail up the striped socks, and he immediately wondered if they went all the way up to her knees, and how sexy and cute they would look on her legs without the pants, if they did.  It was the first moment all day that he had stopped thinking about his bitterness, but realizing that only made matters worse.  There were clearly much bigger issues at hand than his libido always revving out of control at the sight of this woman.  

He didn’t realize he had been pulling so hard on his bracelet until Mina placed her small and calloused hand atop his own.  

“Tet, what’s wrong?”  She was doing that _thing_ she always did where he felt like he couldn’t hide anything from her even if he tried.  He was more than a little familiar with that look she would get on her face, like she was reading every person in the room with ease.  Right now, the only person in the room was him, so it felt pretty intense.  

“What do you mean?” He tried to deflect the question, but he was met was silence.  That was another thing he had become accustomed.  Her silence was more emphatic and telling than her words ever were.  Mina could read you a novel in a matter of minutes with her silence.  It was a shocking quality in someone who could be so forthcoming and passionate about her opinions.  

Mina reached, almost fell over, steadied herself, and ran her fingers tenderly across the braided red around his wrist.  “You fidget and play with your sister’s bracelet when you have something heavy on your mind, and you are about to tear the damn thing off of your wrist.  So, something’s weighing on you.  What’s going on?”  ”  

She sat up straight again, and tugged on his hair, as she always did to ensure his attention.  He noted, not for the first time, the scars across her knuckles.  The smell of whatever it was she put on her skin or bathed in flooded his nostrils, and somehow offered him a fleeting sense of relief.  

He sighed, and weighed the pros and cons of being completely transparent.  On one hand, she might feel pushed, and that would lead to her being defensive or running away.  On the other, she might, at the very least, answer some of his questions.  His gut was telling him to just be honest.  

He admitted, “I am feeling really frustrated with the fact that it’s not even plausible for me to go on the mission with the lot of you.  I’m frustrated and confused and worried.”

He used the wheels on his seat to roll himself in between Mina’s swinging legs.  She was looking down at him.  He placed one of his hands on her knee— enough for his fingers to feel the warmth and twitch of the muscles above her knee and on her thigh.   As handsy as the pair always were with each other, it was no surprise to him that she pulled him closer by that hand, sliding it up her thigh until it rested comfortably on her hip…no surprise, but concentrating became increasingly difficult.

“I know I can’t go, Chibi-chan.  Kougami and Masaoka made it clear as to why, but I still don’t understand…”  

He made eye contact, and with her fingers slipping through his curls and an expectant stare, he continued his honesty.  “I don’t understand why Kougami knows and I don’t.  I don’t understand what mistake I’ve made that’s made you trust me least of all out of everyone.  I’m frustrated that Kougami is the one you confide in…no, not frustrated.  Jealous.  I’m jealous that you trust him in place of me, when what I really want is to be the man you want to tell your secrets to most of all.”  

Her mouth opened and closed again quickly, reminding him somewhat of a fish.  Eyebrows knitting together, her legs finally stopped swaying playfully.  Mina looked to the ceiling, pursed her lips, and took a deep breath.

“I’m so sorry, Tet.  It wasn’t...”  

It seemed like she wasn’t going to tell him anything after all, and that hurt, more than he thought it would or even should.  He looked at the dingy tile of the medical wing’s floor and started to scoot his stool backwards.  Before he could move more than a millimeter, Mina stopped him.  She had hooked one leg around his torso and the other around a leg of his seat.  When she pulled him forward, he was even closer than he had been before.  The scent and feel of her surrounded him, and for a moment, he was discombobulated, his senses hyper aware of all the little things that identified Mina as Mina.

“Tet, I was trying to apologize for making you feel so insecure.  I didn’t realize…”  She swallowed thickly.  “It wasn’t at all that I don’t trust you.  I thought you knew that.  I just…I don’t want anything bad to ever happen to you.  I never ever want to be the cause of any harm for you.”

Anger finally started to supersede his tantamount frustration.  “Wait.  So are you telling me you couldn’t tell me whatever the big mystery is because I can’t take care of myself?  I’m not an enforcer like Kougami, so I need you to protect me?  You see me as a little kid or something, and Kou’s the adult?”  

“No!  Of course that’s not…” she began to argue.

Tetsuo reached out and encircled her wrist.  It looked delicate and dark compared to his pale digits.  “That’s crap, Mina!  I’m not the one always showing up half dead!  If you’re worried about protecting someone, shouldn’t it be Kou?  And what about who I want to protect?  This time Erra was nearly dead and you were so…so…” his breath shuddered uncontrollably as he remembered his horror from that full night, before he was able to finish talking.  “And I haven’t even been given the chance to help you overcome whatever happened that night!”

“Stop, Tet.  You’re still misunderstanding!  I deserved whatever happened to me, because _I’m_ the one who put _my friend_ in that situation.  And then all of my friends, really.”  

The flip of her wrist and palm made it to where they were holding hands.  “It’s not that I trust you less than Kou or Erra, or anyone else.  It’s that I _never_ even wanted to tell anybody in the first place.  Erra found out because I fucking owed her after that night, and _she’s_ the one that coaxed me into telling Kou.  I didn’t want to.  I tried to get out of it, but she sat with us in the room and made sure I was honest.  Everything else unfolded from that.”

For once, Tetsuo couldn’t help feeling a fleeting flash of anger towards Kamiya.  Couldn’t she have chosen him instead?

Cupping his face in her hands, she continued, “Please believe me.  I only wanted to protect everyone.  I swear.  I never meant for this to be a secret that got out at all.  I’ll tell you.  I’ll do anything to show you I do trust you, but you have to understand that it might get you hurt or dead or worse.”  Mina looked like she was about to cry.  “It’s serious, and you have to keep it to yourself.  You could wind up killing a lot of people if you don’t, including yourself…and me.”

“You just said you trusted me, but then you went right to making me swear to things I would never ever do.  I’ll keep any secret you share tightly held, even beyond the grave.  If you really trust me, can’t you give me anything?”

She squeezed his palm, and nodded.  “Yes.”  Her legs still wrapped around him, she leaned down until their foreheads were touching and nodded even harder.  “Yes, Tetsuo.  I’ll tell you anything.  I can’t have you believing you mean less to me than anyone else in this place.  Nothing could be further from the truth.”

Tetsuo let her words wash over him and sink in with comforting, warm assurance that he had been longing for since that terrible night.  Nodding once himself, he placed a tender kiss on her forehead and sat back to catch her gaze.

“My shift ends in five.  Wait for me,” he told her.  

His rounds had never seemed to take so long to finish, and he knew it was because his mind was in overdrive with all of his theories and he was too anxious to finally hear the truth about Mina.  When he was completely done handing over his shift, he found Mina sitting right where he had left her, looking somewhat sad but determined.  

“Hey, Chibs.  No sad faces right now, kay?”  Seki grabbed her tattered boots and turned away from her.  “Come on. You know you want a piggyback ride to your place.  You love being a few meters taller!”

Kicking his backside, before still climbing onto his back, she complained, “You’re not even _one_ meter taller than me, jerk.”

“Basically.”  He knew as well as she did that it was more like 30 centimeters, but he could her the grin on her face, even with the way she mock growled at him, so they continued bickering as he carried her back to her own quarters.

To make certain she would feel as comfortable as possible while confiding in him, Seki made sure to do all the things that he knew had helped Mina relax in the past.  He walked them to the couch and dropped her unceremoniously with an “oof” onto its surface.

“Oi!  Come back here!” she shouted as he walked away, holding up one finger to indicate he would be back quickly.  Gathering the supplies quickly, he proceeded to make a pile of all the blankets and pillows that he could find.  In the end, it didn’t feel like a couch at all.  It was more like a nest, with only Mina’s face visible in the pile.  Suddenly her hand shot out and yanked him hard onto the couch, landing him in the pile as well, and Mina looked like she was trying to fight off a fit of giggles.  

The two stared at each other with smiles on their faces, before Mina peeled back the covers and waited for Tetsuo to join her inside.  Lying back with his head on the armrest, the small woman climbed atop his broad body, snuggling down until it was more like they were rabbits in a burrow than birds in a nest.

“Mina,” he called, waiting until she made eye contact to continue.  “Tell me?”

And she did.  It took hours, and it was like nothing he had imagined in his countless theories, but it explained so much and by the end, he felt a closeness and a renewed surge of his love and devotion for her.

His anxiety wasn’t gone.  It had been replaced by the heavy anxiety of knowing Mina’s secret and the dangers that it posed to everyone he knew and cared about…but that was an anxiety he could deal with.  Tetsuo felt so much lighter than earlier, when he was still certain he had personally done something to alienate the woman he cared most for in this world.

One answer led to thirty new questions, and it was hard to decide what he wanted to know most.  In more talks about her older brother, Kishio, Tetsuo had pieced together that the Unregistered people had a more liberal viewpoint on what consisted of a _normal_ relationship between people.  After hours of their detailed back-and-forth, there was one selfish question that refused to leave the forefront of his mind, but in all her vivid explanations of her past and her people, there had been some things that had given him hope.  Finally, when he could no longer stand it, he pushed the long-building confession from his lips.  

“Mina.”

She shifted her weight so that she was again laying against his chest again, and waited for his words.

“What would happen in your culture if another man besides Kougami wanted you?  No,” Seki shook his head.  “Didn’t just want you…what would happen if another man loved you.”

Her sky blue eyes widened slowly and her response was a barely audible, choked out cough.  “ _Loved_ …”

Quickly she sat up and he followed which still left her straddling his lap.  He expected her to scramble away further, but she didn’t.  Her eyes wandered over him rapidly, as if looking for any hint in his breathing or expression or body language that would tell her he was kidding.  He waited silently as she discovered none.

“Tet,” she whispered, as her hands rested on the inside bends of his elbows.  Her eyes stared deeply into his before she grew embarrassed and glanced away from him.  An incredibly sad look formed on her features, and she said, “Tet, you can’t.  I don’t deserve to be loved by a man like you.”

“That’s a terrible way to avoid answering!” he exclaimed.  He could see her eyes widen even if he was still only able to see her profile.  “Whether you think you deserve it or not doesn’t change my feelings for you.  And if you don’t feel anything for me, just say so, damn it!  You don’t owe me your love just because I love you,” he huffed.

Now Mina’s mouth formed an almost silent gasp.  Her head twisted just slightly in his direction, but ultimately she still avoided his gaze.  Tetsuo began again, “But this…this limbo, the back-and-forth between us and me finally admitting it, but you answer like that?  It’s confusing.  You don’t _deserve_ my feelings?  So what does that mean?  You think I’m too good for you?  Are you saying you deserve someone like Kougami?  That he’s a bad guy or you see him as somehow less than me?”

Her attention immediately snapped back to focus firmly on his face.  “No!  Of course not! I’m sorry I avoided the question.  If it were up to me, and this place was different, if I were home, I’d have you both!  I could be with you both, Tet.  Assuming of course, you both wanted that.”

“So you admit you want me,” was the most important information Seki took away from that.  His feelings were not unrequited.  He smirked.

“Tetsuo,” she said as she sat herself upright, sliding her weight across the thin fabric of his scrubs as she settled astride his lap.  He gulped and prayed he wouldn’t begin to stir.  

“Look at us,” she said.  “We spend ninety percent of our time together touching each other in some way.  Of course, I’m attracted to you.  I am just having a little trouble navigating your cultural norms for this kind of thing, even with Kougami.  This stuff is obviously different here, and everyone seems very closed off and uptight about their sexuality.  I can’t just do things the way I normally would.  Hell, I don’t even know what’s considered acceptable and what isn’t, so I may have been coming off uninterested, but that’s not it.  I swear, none of that negates how I feel for you.  None of this awkwardness means I haven’t wanted more from you.”

Seki narrowly avoided letting loose a loud groan as she wiggled in his lap, thighs tightening the slightest.  Where their laps met was incredibly warm, and there was no way he could have concealed the twitch as his hips stuttered up out of reflex.  

“I was certain that you and Kougami…” he began, trying to keep his mind on track.

With a look as if she were trying to convince herself, Mina interrupted, “Really, though, Kougami and I aren’t a couple like that.  I mean, not really.  Well, I don’t even know what we are exactly because I’ve been too afraid to ask.  He just doesn’t _do_ that kind of thing.”

“I would think that he would be smart enough to make it clear by now,” his snarky comment tumbled out, thinking back to all the times Kou had made it clear enough to him that he didn’t like Seki interfering with Mina.  

Knowing that and knowing how often Kougami must have been with Mina and knowing that Mina _still_ didn’t even know where she stood with the man made Tetsuo beyond annoyed.  His hands reached up to run through Mina’s hair and down to cup her face.  “I do,” he said as he held her gaze.  “I mean, ‘that kind of thing,’ with you I would.  I’d make sure you always knew how I felt.”  His hands slid from her cheeks down to her hands where he gave them each a little squeeze.

Starting with their grip still tangled, her arms twined around his neck and shoulders, and Mina pressed herself impossibly close.  The way her breasts were rising and falling between them made him wish that she wasn’t wearing a shirt.  There was no stopping his hands as they found their way up the back of her shirt, enjoying the texture of her skin and the ticks of movement of the small muscles in her back.  

The whispered words made goosebumps spread from his ear to his neck.  “I never ever want you to think that I am just toying with you, but I have to respect the way that the culture here works, but I do want you.  I more than want you.  You’re the one that brings back the light to me in this dark place where everything feels so foreign and alone.”

It was almost painful the way his heart clenched at such an honest confession from the woman he had grown to love.  They were more than the words he had longed to hear.  He leaned his head forward enough to place a soft, lingering kiss to the hair at the crown of her head.

“What you said to me earlier…” she said, her ear pressed against his chest near enough that she certainly heard his racing heart.  “It reminded me of something I once read by Hafez.”

_“Even after all this time_  
_the sun never says to the earth,_  
_‘You owe me.’_

_Look what happens with_  
_a love like that._  
_It lights the whole sky.”_

Always having been a romantic, Tetsuo couldn’t hide his quiet gasp.  “Mina, that’s…I don’t know how I could respond to something as beautiful as that,” he admitted, feeling such contentment as her eyes turned to him once again.

She moved so that their faces were centimeters apart and whispered, “Yes, you do.”

And he did.

Lips finding hers, he made his feelings for her more than clear.  The way she kissed was different than he had imagined.  He had expected something aggressive and fierce, but instead was pleasantly surprised with a soft press of lips that slowly turned into something gentle and exploratory, sweet and innocent.  Seki enjoyed the dichotomy of the pureness of their kiss against the erotic responses he garnered from the instinctual grinding of his hips.  It was a feat of self-control to keep his pace less than frantic, especially as he heard the soft little whines and gasps for breath she took as they pressed and ground against each other.  

For him it was bliss.  It was heaven.  I was what he’d been longing for.  She had chosen him over Kougami if only for this one moment.  Mina cared enough for Tetsuo that she had let herself fall into this moment with him by her own choosing.

When she finally pulled away with a satisfied giggle, she stared at him with affectionate happiness.  The look suited her, and he couldn’t help but grin before nearly growling upon realizing that this was the end for now.

“I guess I have to let you go,” he sighed, hugging her close.  He almost dreaded what came next, but knew it was a must.

“Before you go, I want to make sure you comprehend how important you are to me,” she stated, running her thumb across his cheek.  

“I have received clarity on the issue,” he smiled, eyeing a small scar on the bridge of her nose before sliding his index finger across it. “But you need clarity with Kougami, as well.  And as for what comes after, we’ll just take it as it comes, hm?”

Mina nodded fiercely.  “I’ll talk with Kougami, I promise.  I’ll go tonight, and tomorrow after the mission, I’ll see you again.”

That was all Tetsuo could really want and more than he would ask for, so he left her room for the evening with one more sweet kiss and a smile on his face for their tomorrow.

 

 **********  
** Back at his apartment, Gino’s and Erra’s date finally seemed to be progressing smoothly.  It only took the two of them an hour or so to get into a rhythm.  Ginoza rolled his eyes at himself for being so inept, but for all his bumbling had led them to now.  The woman of his dreams was in his home, happily cooking for him, and he couldn’t help but think that this is what it would be like to cohabitate with Erra.  It was a thought he had never entertained when thinking of any other woman.

He had offered to help her mixing, but she refused to allow him.  Instead, he sat at the stool on the backside of the counter as she carefully prepared the little pastry circles. “I’m afraid mine won’t be colored in a cute way like these normally are.  You have no food dye,” she said.

“I’m quite concerned that the food I eat always be ‘cute,’” he responded, taking off his glasses to wipe their smudges away.

She stopped mixing and stared at the man across the counter from her with a look of disbelief.  Noticing she had gone quiet, he replaced the glasses and glanced her direction.  “What?” he questioned.

“Did you?—You just made a joke, Gino.  On purpose!”

“ _Tch_ ,” he huffed, embarrassed that it was such a rare occurrence him to garner a response of shock.  “Don’t get used to it.”

When she still said nothing, he looked back at her and she was leaning on the counter with her elbows, chin resting in her hands, and giving him a sassy smirk that just made him want to snatch her into a kiss.  They continued watching each other until Kami said, “You’re awfully attractive sometimes, Inspector.”

“Ngh…Stop that!” he ordered, completely flustered by her control of the situation.

“Suit yourself.”

He quietly watched her pipe the batter onto a baking sheet, and then begin stirring the honey and caramel fillings that would go in later.  All the while, he enjoyed the way she absent-mindedly hummed.  

 _Awfully attractive sometimes?_ he thought to himself. _I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as you._  

He couldn’t stop the thoughts of wanting her that kept creeping up.  This time, though, it wasn’t her body.  It was this.  Endless moments with Erra in his home, talking, laughing, feeling relaxed and spending evenings with him.  Distracted by how nice those thoughts made him feel, he didn’t notice her staring at him again, giving him a sly eyebrow.

“What now?” he commented.

“Now the best part.  Taste this,” she ordered as she leaned forward over his counter with a spoon.

“What?  I can’t let you feed me!” he exclaimed, knowing he looked terribly rattled.

“Sure you can.  Please.  Just a little taste of what you have to look forward to?  You won’t be disappointed,” she replied much more suggestively than Ginoza’s brain was prepared to handle.  She playfully ran the spoon into his chin, adding, “Just open your mouth, for heaven’s sake!”

Groaning, he opened his mouth, cheeks tinged pink as she gave him the bite.  It _did_ taste more than delicious, but that wasn’t what _he_ would have called “the best part.”  That came when he noticed how charming her sheer delight looked on her features after watching him taste her cooking.  A joy-fueled light seemed to shine from her.  

Making her even more attractive, so sexy he could have taken her then and there had he been bolder, she dipped her finger in the bowl, sucked off some filling, closed her eyes and moaned softly.

“Mmm…I may have outdone myself.”  Dipping the finger again, she held it across the counter in his direction, “Want another taste?”  
Ginoza almost choked.  She laughed heartily at the look on his face before wiping it onto the tip of his nose.  “You make it too easy to tease you, Gino.”  

He used the back of his hand to clean his nose and then rinsed it in the sink.  “At least you didn’t wipe bits of criminal on me this time.”

It was Erra turning pink at that memory, but still she chuckled.

“Now what?”

“Now we wait 15 minutes while it bakes.  I’ll need to keep checking the cookie part.”

“Are you thirsty?” he asked her, realizing that it had been a while since he had offered her something.

“Just water, thank you,” she replied sitting down on his sofa for a minute.

At the food synthesizer, Ginoza pressed several buttons and grabbed the foods that materialized.  Carrying them over, he set them on the coffee table in front of Kami.

“We should eat something for dinner, at least,” he said as he handed her a bowl.

She looked at the food while chewing on her lower lip, biting back a grin, and looking to Gino as striking as ever.  She gave a short laugh and turned her teal eyes to his.  Something about those eyes looked fuller and more focused on him than he’d yet to see, and it made his chest feel tight.

Sitting next to her on his couch, he picked up his own bowl.

“Synthetic yakisoba,” she directed at him.  He was too embarrassed by the way her voice sounded so blissful saying the words, so he responded with a shrug.  Scooting herself closer, he was taken by surprise as she lay her head over on his shoulder.  It felt almost like a hug as she said, “Thank you.  That was very kind, Nobuchika.”

He nodded his short reply, feeling his chin rub against her silky red hair and trying not to let his breathing speed up noticeably.  “That’s an awfully generous response for a bowl full of Styrofoam,” he responded.  He didn’t have to worry about breathing too quickly, because at his words, she lifted her face to look at him, and he could no longer breathe at all.  Erra’s face was only inches from his now and her darkly glossed lips were torturously enticing as she spoke.

“No, it isn’t.”

Swallowing to clear the dryness his mouth felt, it took everything he had to move back slightly.  Not yet he thought.  This was too important for him and he didn’t want to be hasty.  He poked her nose with the back of a chopstick and replied, “Just eat your dinner already.”

The redhead smirked again and gave another short laugh as she sat up and enjoyed her noodles.  After several bites of them eating in silence, she sighed.  He saw that her face was towards the ceiling, a regretful look on it.  She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again.  Ginoza pretended not to notice as she grappled with whether or not to speak.

“They…you know, they’re in the Adashi Municipal Rehab Facility,” she muttered.  “My mother and little brother.”

Those were not words Ginoza expected to hear.  He couldn’t hide his astonishment, replying, “ _Both_ of them?”

Nodding slowly, still staring up at his ceiling, she continued, “Mm-hm.  My mother was admitted permanently when I was 13 and my brother not long after.  He was only 8.  Jin didn’t do so well not having her at home.  It’s not like she was present most of the time even when she was at home.  My dad did everything for us.  He did everything…but I guess Jin couldn’t accept her not being there at all.”

Gino shifted uncomfortably, not saying anything and allowing her to continue, but he couldn’t help but cringe at her first sentence.  “It wasn’t her fault.  I know that it wasn’t, after everything I’ve learned, but the little girl in me is still pissed at her sometimes, especially since her illness caused my brother ‘zero percent chance of rehabilitation.’  People don’t understand what having a latent criminal for a parent does to a family!”

“No, they don’t,” he agreed as her hand flew up to cover her mouth and finally she looked at him, eyes full of shame for forgetting momentarily.

“Oh, Gino.  I’m—,” but the timer for the oven went off, and he stood quickly to retrieve the macaron halves before they were became hard.  
Setting them on a rack to cool, he felt her approaching close behind him.  Her voice started, “Gino, I’m s—“

He spun and grabbed the wrist of her hand that had been reaching for his shoulder.  “Don’t apologize for that!  I know exactly why you wouldn’t tell people your family is latent!  But…but you…you knew about my father.  You knew I was the same, so why…”  She flinched a bit as he loudly asked, “Why didn’t you tell me this before now, Erra?”

She glared at him for yelling and stood a little straighter as she answered, “Why?  Because I don’t like the way you treat your father, for starters!”

“Excuse me?” he began, eyes widening to saucers, but she talked over his words.

“How could I confide this to you when you spend most of the time acting like Pops is plain evil?  Your family came out, Ginoza!  You can’t begin to understand how jealous I am over you for that.  How can you still be angry at him for being an Enforcer?  Pops only has two choices; he can avoid a gruesome death for as long as possible by working as _our_ guard dog _**or** _ he can sit rotting in the facility until he’s on so much medication there is absolutely nothing left of him!  And then you know what happens?  Their suffering doesn’t end.  They get pumped full of their so-called ‘medicine’ until they can’t feel anything.  They just lay there like vegetables year after year, trapped in their own body.”  She wasn’t shouting, but the way she spoke almost made him feel like cowering.

“Masaoka picked the better of the only two options he had, trust me.  I would be proud if my brother wanted to become an Enforcer…but he didn’t.  He wanted to stay near my mother no matter what.  There was no talking him out of it.  They don’t even _know_ each other or anyone else at this point, Ginoza.  They know _nothing_ about _anything_!  So, it doesn’t matter how much I’m interested in you.  It pisses me off to see you take your time with Pops so for granted!  Why won’t you forgive him?  Even a little?”

Face still locked in an angry grimace, he loudly clicked his tongue, before pulling firmly on her wrist, yanking her forward.  Letting it drop over his shoulder, he pressed her head against his chest with one hand and used the other on her back to hold her to him in a tight embrace.  

She seemed to seize up momentarily, no doubt startled by his reaction, but only for a moment.  Once she relaxed into the hug, slipping both arms around his middle, he rested his cheek against her hair.  “How do you do it, Erra?  How do you go through all the suffering you’ve been through and not have a clouded psycho-pass?  Mine is barely hanging on, so what’s the secret?”

Not moving from his arms, Erra turned her eyes to him.  “I have to keep it clear.”

“You make it sound so easy,” he whispered.  “I do nothing but struggle with mine.”

“Then you should know by now that it isn’t as black and white as Sybil makes it out to be. You do everything to clear your hue and it barely makes a dent.  I just tell myself that either I deal with it and choose to keep going, or I fade away from this society like my mother and brother.  I won’t even exist anymore, like Ren.  Somewhere there’s a lie, Ginoza…a big one, and it’s ruining the lives of millions.”

He gripped her a little tighter, worried that her words suddenly bordered on latent, but she pressed on without hesitation.  “I _need_ to find the solution.  I _need_ to keep searching for the answer.  I’m certain if I keep looking, I can discover a way to prevent anyone else from reaching zero percent chance of rehabilitation.”

“Erra,” his voice sounded strained, begging her to stop talking such nonsense.

She backed up from him and began busying herself by piping out the honey and caramel filling for the middles of the macarons.  Quietly, she added, “I can.  If nothing else, I will at least find out how to fix whatever is wrong with the Sybil System, and I will learn what happened to my husband…before I run out of time and become an enforcer, or worse.”

“That’s not going to happen to you!” Gino said.  Even he startled himself with how firm he sounded.

“Why?  Because you don’t want it to?  That’s not a real prevention method, Inspector,” she said harshly.

“No, because I’ll help you.  If this is what you’re determined to do, I’ll help.  You don’t have to do this by yourself.”    
He was astounded that Erra, with her outlook on psychology, was arguing with him over this.  Was it really so important to her that he not offer to help?

“I’m not willing to do anything that may push you over the edge.  I’ve seen your psycho-pass numbers plenty of times.  I can do this alone.”  The tone of her voice told him that she was convinced she was right.  Gino had seen her in moods like these, and usually, he would back down, but there was no argument that would stop him from trying to help her.

“Well, I’ll be there anyway so you won’t have to do it alone,” he said concisely and with authority, indicating he would not budge any more than she would.

Clearly exasperated with him now, she nearly shouted out her “why?”

“You know why!”

“I don’t!  Kougami _wasn’t_ your fault.  Tsunemori _wasn’t_ your fault.  Masaoka _wasn’t_ your fault.  I’m not just some new burden to throw on your shoulders, so you can blame yourself if something goes wrong!”  The fiery redhead, true to form, refused to back down.

“That’s not what I said,” he retorted, wondering if she was actually hearing any of the words he had been saying all evening.  For having great people reading skills, she really seemed to be clueless about the depth of his feelings for her.

“Then don’t think that you have to look out for me!”  She slammed the pan she was holding on the counter, and then took a deep breath.  He noted that some of the confection flew into her face and clothes.

“I don’t _have_ to, Erra.  I _want_ to!  Damn it, why are you so stubborn about this?  I _want_ to look out for you.”  Maybe he was using all of the wrong words and that was why she refused to hear.  He moved directly behind her now.

“ _For what?_  What good could it possibly do you?  Why—?”  The woman had been wiping the bits of caramel off of her face, but dropped the little kitchen towel when he yelled.  His arms were on either side of her, gripping her wrists again.

“Stop!  Don’t fight me on this!  I won’t be able to live with myself if something happens to you!”

“Because of this stupid responsibility you’ve mandated yourself not to lose another partn—?”  Anger was flashing in her eyes as she glared over her shoulder.  He had never met a woman who argued like Kamiya.

“I’m not watching you die again, Goddammit!  I’m not!”  He interrupted her loudly, turning her to face him.  “I’m not!  I can’t.”  

The next few sentences were choked out as he tried to hold onto unwelcome tears.  He ran his fingertips over her face, through her hair, across her two recent wounds covered by her clothes as he spoke, “You weren’t conscious, Erra.  You weren’t breathing.  You don’t know what that did to me.  You don’t know how close I was to falling over the edge that night.  You don’t know how my numbers must have skyrocketed.  There was so much blood and nothing I could do about it…so much of your blood on the ground and I just…”

“Nobuchika,” she whispered, voice tight and emotional.  She looked at him with searching eyes and a sincere expression of adoration, reaching up to cup his face in her hands.  At her touch, a tear slipped from both of his eyes and she stood to her toes to lightly kiss each one away.  Returning to her heels, Gino turned his face each direction to kiss the palms she still had on his cheeks, then his arms slipped around her waist to hold her again.  

Her teal eyes focused on his mouth, and she ran her tongue along her lips.  She leaned in and almost kissed him—was a hairsbreadth away from making contact when he made a decision, one he would hold to firmly.  Thus far, she had been leaving him feeling like he had no control over his actions.  It always seemed to him that she had the upper hand, and he was normally content to let her, but not for this.  Their first kiss was going to be his to give.

Placing his fingers gently against her too soft lips, he said, “Wait.  I’m sorry, I know it’s stupid…but I want to give you the first kiss we share.”

“Well…”  All anger was gone now, even more quickly than it had come.  Instead her mouth flicked into a smirk, letting him know she was waiting.

“ _Tch_.  You can’t _tell_ me to do it.  I told you.  It’s stupid.  I realize that, I do.  I also told you that I’ve never done this seriously before.  I—I’m trying not to, but I’ve put a great deal of pressure on myself to make it count.”

Her smile softened and she ran the backs of her fingers along his neck, melting him ever so slowly into her touch, as she purred, “Nobuchika, it will count.  That’s not—“

Breaking himself out of the momentary trance, Gino begged, “Please, Erra.  Please let me have this my way.  I’ll give you _anything_ else, just let me choose when I kiss you the first time. I swear I won’t wait long, and I swear to make your knees weak.”

Her eyes widened, as did her grin.  Her fingers stopped moving abruptly as her hands moved to feel the red heat showing on her cheeks.  Cocking her head to the side, she sighed, “I thought _I_ was the tease around here.”  

Ginoza raised his eyebrows, surprised but more than a little pleased to have been labeled as such by the woman he wanted so much.  It gave him a sense of control and contentment he had rarely felt in his life.  Still looking at him lovingly, Erra ran her fingers through his dark bangs, brushing them back from his eyes to stare a moment before nuzzling her head against his chest, resting in his embrace.

After a few minutes, Erra’s head shot up and she moved away, muttering, “Damn it,” before bending to pick scattered macaron halves from his kitchen floor.  “I only filled four or five.”

For once, he let himself stare at her ass without caring if he was caught.  Those high-waisted shorts covered virtually _none_ of her gorgeous thighs and fit so snuggly to her backside that Ginoza was a little amazed that he was able to think at all.

“It is fine,” he assured her, while collecting the bits that had rolled across the counter and dumping them back on the pan.  He took the little plate of finished ones and set it on the coffee table, then came back to where she’d been straightening and laced his fingers with hers, tugging her over to the sofa.  When they sat down he noticed her smiling at his hand holding hers.  He felt his mood and confidence improving by the second.

Ginoza sampled the macarons and found they were indeed delicious.  The two of them enjoyed the desserts in near silence before he broached another awkward question.  Erra’s confessions had given him the push to start a conversation he had yet to have out loud with anyone.

“What did you mean, Erra, when you said that what happened to Ren had something to do with whatever is ‘wrong’ with Sybil?”  He expected the startled look on her face, considering he had waited so long between that conversation and this, still he continued, “And that day you told me you trusted me with my opinion, but you wouldn’t tell me what that was about or why at HQ?  Can you tell me now that we’re finally in private?”

She heaved a deep sigh this time and glanced around nervously, as if she thought even here, they might be being watched.  “All right,” she breathed, “but it’s a long story.”  

She pulled the infinity scarf over her head and lay it on the table, tugged down her over-the-knee boots and set them by the door, then she sat sideways on the couch, draping her long legs over his lap and leaning against the armrest.  He was only a little surprised at how comfortable she had just made herself with him, but wanted her to feel at ease as she talked of such a heavy topic.  Struggling a moment with what to do with his hands, he eventually settled for resting his forearms atop her thighs.

Kamiya began telling her lengthy tale about her husband’s job, how it was similar to where they found the first body dump and about how he never came home.  She told about how the news was delivered and files were altered or deleted regarding his case.  How they had called off the search by saying Ren probably just left her, was a part of the story that visibly affected her, so he inched closer beneath those legs and held onto her hand again.  She finished explaining how she had decided to find the answers and her reasons for becoming involved with the CID.

It was clear that protocols weren’t followed and that somewhere the ball had been dropped.  People didn’t just go missing anymore.  Not with Sybil scanners monitoring the population.  Not without completely leaving Japan.

Ginoza immediately thought of Makashima, Tsunemori, and Kagari.  He had been trying so hard to hold onto Sybil's justice... Sybil's infallibility, but every day it seemed that the he found evidence weighing in against that fact.  Some things he had managed to box away in his mind of things best left forgotten, but this was too stark, too blatant, and too close to Kamiya's heart, and therefore close to his, for him to ignore.  

“Erra,” he started, applying a little more pressure to the hold he had on her hand, “I understand how you feel, and I am truly amazed that hue is not clouded to complete darkness.  I can't imagine...”  Unconsciously, his fingers closed on her thigh right above the knee.  “I want you to realize that you are not alone in this.  Not in having to cope with it, of course.  All of Team One is here for you, but that’s not exactly what I mean, either.  Our team’s mistrust is well-founded.”  

And then, he did something he thought he would never do.  Nobuchika Ginoza candidly talked about what happened with Kougami, how he lost his best friend, how he had to maintain distance from those with whom he was closest.  Never could he forget Shinya's protective defense of him to anyone and everyone as far back as their first meeting in high school.  The man talked about how hard it was to see his father and Kou every day; how he spent so much time feeling abandoned by the pair, jealous over the things he would never be able to understand or take part in simply because he was still a part of normal society.

Gino expounded upon everything that happened with Makashima, and watched as the pretty redhead's eyes filled with both empathy and sympathy.  Her whole body showed the sickness she felt learning about the term “Criminally Asymptomatic.”  She was grasping at the sleeve of his shirt, sharing in his emotion, showing nothing but understanding.  Akane's death was difficult to talk about, but he rattled off his feelings anyhow.  He noted that the weight of that horrible time lessened the more it settled like a blanket over both he _and_ Erra, redistributing all that he had held so close for so long.  And even though she already knew, the need to keep his father and Kougami in his life, even at a distance was made evident with raw and vulnerable vocabulary he previously thought incapable of leaving his lips.  

“I can't let Kou go over the edge, Erra.  I can't imagine having to kil... I won’t do it!  But he’s so close to his crime co-efficient being past 300.”  He ended his tirade with emotions swirling like a storm; frustrated, angry, close to tears.

With an understanding he never could have expected before meeting Erra Kamiya, she brought his hand to her mouth and kissed his fingers one by one, calming his mind gently, and then keeping his hand resting there by her cheek.

“I think we can both agree that keeping our people safe is of utmost importance, Gino.”  Her eyes were glassy.  “And I know that Kou and your father care about you, for what that's worth.  You aren't alone in this either.”  

He bowed his head, hoping that his hair hid his eyes well enough to keep her from seeing just how close he was to crying.  Erra, ever discerning, gave his bangs a rough tug.

“No hiding,” she bossed.  

He rolled his eyes at her bossy tone, thankful for now at her need to diffuse heavy emotion, already feeling much lighter than he had seconds ago.  “That hurt, you know.”  

“Yeah, well, I still haven't managed to get back at you completely for not telling me about the blood piñata thing.”  She was back to teasing, and he was glad for it.  He desperately needed the redirect.  They could continue with the darkness another time.  

“What are these ridiculous things anyhow?” he asked, rubbing the length of one of her textured thigh high socks, looking for any frivolous topic he could find.

“My socks?” She was confused by his question.

“Clearly they’re socks, but why in the world are they so long?”  They had to have a real functional reason for being so long.  To be fair, he knew practically nothing of women’s fashion.

“They’re boot socks,” she said, matter-of-factly, a much too adorable look on her face.

“Boots need socks longer than the boot itself?”  Gino tried to make it clear that the concept was silly to him as he smiled at her.

“Well, it made you focus on my thighs, didn’t it?” Erra said, tapping the hand that was still attached above her knee.  

He grumbled then, realizing that yes, the socks had served the purpose she wanted.  “To be perfectly honest, I'm often looking at your thighs.”  Ginoza felt a little too bold in saying such things and felt the heat on his cheeks.

She huffed in mock indignation, and leaned forward to pull off the socks.  He imagined all sorts of things, as she easily folded in half across his lap to tug the fabric.  He couldn't stop watching her and enjoying the shift of her weight.  The polish on her toes called attention to her feet.  He couldn’t help but notice now, that he found even those perfect.  

He also realized she didn’t plan on him taking her back to her car.  He wouldn’t have done so unless she insisted, anyway.  It was nearly 2:00 in the morning by now, and she would have had to go the hour to her home and back again to work by 6:00 at the very latest.  Two hours for sleep before the important mission tomorrow would not be nearly sufficient.  It pleased him that she didn’t even bother to ask if it was alright, knowing his answer would be yes.  

When he made it a point to look at her face, she was smirking, and he figured out why as she quickly removed her over shirt, leaving him with quite the view of her cleavage.   _She's taunting me for not kissing her_ , he ascertained.  

But then he worried that she would take off more clothing.  If she did, keeping this slow would be damn near impossible.  He hated how much control she had over him without even making any effort.  He wished for the same effect on her, but he certainly wasn’t confident in seducing anyone. “You aren't going to...”

He couldn’t finish his question without blushing furiously.  Grinning wider, she asked, “Going to what, Gino?”

“You don’t really sleep in only panties, do you?”  He was looking where her underwear would be if he could see it.  

“Been thinking about that often, have you?”  She looked genuinely happy that she could call him out for such an embarrassing thing.

There was no doubt that his face was tomato red, because it was something that replayed over and over in his mind.  For a fleeting moment, he felt bad for calling his father a dirty old man.    

“I do sleep that way at home, yeah,” she supplied with a shrug of her shoulders

“You’re not going to bed like that here again, are you?”  His voice was hoarse even in his own ears.  The primal part of Ginoza's brain was telling him to shut up and if it happened, let it.  The careful portion reminded him that he would have to keep his fantasies to himself if he expected to have that first kiss the way he so desperately wanted.  

“No,” she laughed, her skin also turning a bit pink.  “No, I don’t think I will.  Not enough bourbon this evening.” Kamiya's laugh and smile were magnificent and contagious. “Don't panic.”  

“I am not panicked,” he said haughtily.

Nobuchika appreciated the view of her chest as she stood and stretched, knowing full well Erra knew exactly what she was doing to him.  She asked, “Do you have a cotton shirt I could sleep in?”

Standing from the couch, Gino eyed her thoroughly, thinking for the millionth time how she was definitely the most beautiful woman he had ever lain eyes on.  

“Come on,” he said as she followed him to his room.  

He pulled out a grey top that was loose even on him and tossed it to her.  She caught it and held it to her chest, waiting for him to exit the room so she could change.  She took a step towards him and said, “See you in a few hours, I guess.”

He couldn’t help but smile.  Ginoza tenderly planted his lips on her cheek, noticing the softness of her skin, his nose filling with her calming scent.  He probably lingered a bit too long, but he just couldn't help himself.  Righting himself he said, “Goodnight, Erra.  Sleep well.”  

“Goodnight,” she replied, as he closed the door behind him.

He had come out of his room with a pair of cotton pajama bottoms and slipped out of his clothes and into the comfortable pants.  He put his glasses on the kitchen table, said goodnight to Dime after putting him in his kennel, and lay on the couch.  Not five minutes later, the door to his room opened and Erra was whispering out his name in the darkness as she approached.

“You’re supposed to be sleeping,” he muttered, cracking one eye to find her crouching right in front of him.

“Not yet.  Something is bothering me.  You keep saying that it’s clear for me to see how you feel about me, and I think I have a pretty good idea,” her voice was quiet and almost entrancing.

“But?” he asked.

“No ‘buts.’  I just thought—don’t you want to know how I feel?” she questioned, sliding her fingers tenderly through his hair, brushing it back again and again as it fell towards his eyes.  “About you, I mean?”

He propped himself up on his elbow and gazed at her, breath catching. Running the backs of his fingers along her jawbone, and hoping he was managing some sort of seductiveness.

“I think I have a pretty good idea,” he mimicked.

“Ooh!  Confidence!  Very nice.  I like that,” she added, smirking as she stood to go back to the bedroom.

“Wait,” he ordered, tugging the fabric of the shirt she wore and landing her seated beside him on the sofa.  “I was bluffing.”

“I know.”  Erra gave that sly look of hers that drove him wild.

She turned towards him, casually draping her lengthy legs over his lap again, but this time they were completely bare.  Tucking herself into his side, she rested her head on his equally bare shoulder. She stayed quiet a few moments and waited until his arm could no longer resist wrapping her more snuggly against him.

The breath on his skin as she spoke sent a welcome shiver through his body.  “I was only 17 when I married Ren.  Did you know that?” she asked, turning teal eyes to jade.  He shook his head, honestly surprised by the young age.

“He was gone by the time I was 23, and I really thought that was it for me.  I thought, ‘Here I am, my love used up by my early twenties.’  He and I…we really loved each other and I couldn’t picture ever feeling for anyone the way I did with him.”

Ginoza pet her hair soothingly as she continued, “But then you show up, and you’re so very different from Ren that I thought it would be easy to let my guard down, because it wasn’t like anything would happen.”

He couldn’t help but scoff at that admission, though she pretended not to hear.  “It’s like you somehow become sexier every day with your ridiculous pout and your incredible hair and this stupid, stupid muscle definition,” Erra admitted, much to Gino’s delight as she slowly ran her hands along the lean muscle of his arms and chest.  When she reached his abdominals the muscles jumped under her touch and fire began to stir just under Gino’s skin.  “Also, where do you even get off walking around with those gorgeous eyes of yours?”

“I don’t think I realized just how much you’ve been checking me out, Ms. Kamiya.  It seems you might be infatuated with me.”  He smiled coyly.  His hand was on her thigh, like this casual intimacy was something they did on a daily basis.

“You are quite charming Gino.  I don’t know how you manage to fool the others into thinking otherwise.  Besides that, you make me feel special in a way I didn’t know was even possible.  I’m not as certain as you are where this is going, but I’d really like to find out.” She was tracing her fingers along the sensitive skin of his neck, and moving closer to his face.  He could’ve counted each individual freckle on the bridge of her nose, if he felt so inclined. She licked her lips, and he was tempted to give in and close the space between them.

He didn’t know why it was so important for him to kiss her when she wasn’t expecting it, but it was…still another kiss on the cheek couldn’t hurt.  He leaned in close to her ear and brushed his lips softly against her skin.  He definitely lingered much too long this time, but enjoyed the longing look on her face and the thick swallow she needed before she could mutter out another “Goodnight.”

 

 ************  
Another welcome night of Mina visiting his room, seeming particularly ready for him.  He never questioned what brought her to him.  At this point, it didn’t matter to the man why, just that she chose to relieve those pent up frustrations with him.  

They spent more nights together than not.  It was welcome, the way she would lay with him awhile, relaxing as he enjoyed a post-coital cigarette.  “Kougami, we need to talk about Tetsuo,” she suddenly said.  

He wasn’t surprised.  In fact, he’d been expecting something like this for some time now, and it hadn’t gone unnoticed by him that when she had arrived that night, he could smell the nurse on her clothes.  It was true they needed to talk, but Kougami didn’t give a shit about that right now.

“No,” he responded bluntly, curling a finger around a lock of her hair.

Clearly surprised by his unusually closed off response, Mina couldn’t help her loud, “Huh?!”

“I said no, Min.  We can talk about him.  We can talk about us.  We can talk about whatever the hell you want, but tomorrow.”

She mumbled out, “Kou,” with a grimace.

Pointing to her with his fingers that held his cigarette, he said, “You’re in my bed.  You’re still nearly naked.  You just rode me ‘til I burst.  We’re _not_ talking about Tetsuo.”

Her cheeks flamed red over his crudeness.  She opened her mouth to say something but then closed it again.  Pursing her lips, she sat quietly thinking for a few minutes.

“Can I use your e-reader?” she asked.  

He nodded, blowing smoke out and away from her through his nose.  “If you read something out loud to me.” 

She gave him a slightly apprehensive look, but then shrugged.  Kougami watched as she crawled across his lap and grabbed the e-reader on his night stand.  Mina started to move back, but he stopped her with a hand on the back of her upper thigh.  “Read to me from there,” he commanded.  When she looked back he added, “I like where you are.”  He saw her go still.  She leaned into her previous position, swiping through his library.

He kept his hand in place, and smoked, enjoying her pert behind raised across his lap, remembering that there had been another time when this exact same placement had caught his attention.

_“No te amo como si fueras rosa de sal, topacio_  
_o flecha de claveles que propagan el fuego: “_

She read, and though her Spanish wasn’t perfect, it was good enough to be impressive.  He wondered over her reading choice.

_“te amo como se aman ciertas cosas oscuras,_  
_secretamente, entre la sombra y el alma.“_

It was unintentionally making him hard again, listening to her whispered speech.  Why had she chosen Pablo Neruda?  He certainly hadn't expected her to make a choice like this after bringing up talks of his rival for her attention.  It seemed unlike what she normally showed of herself, and he found it irresistible.  Fingers found the lace of her panties and traced, enjoying the feel of the soft skin of her backside.

_“Te amo como la planta que no florece y lleva_  
_dentro de sí, escondida, la luz de aquellas flor...”_

She stopped when he pulled the taunting lacy garment to the side, and his fingers skimmed down the back of her until they found her sex and slipped inside.

“Keep going,” he said, enjoying the sound of her voice, and reveling that he had the power to make her speech stutter and halt.

 _“...y gracias a...tu amor vive oscuro en mi cuerpo_...fuck.  Kou.”

She was incredibly wet.

“Keep going, Mina,” he said, snuffing out his cigarette and bringing his other hand into play.

_“el apretado aroma que ascendió de la tie... tierra“_

She stopped, breath coming in harsh gasps.  He paused only to smack her ass lightly and say, “Better not stop now, or I might.”

“Damn it, Shinya!” she exclaimed.  “Why are you making this difficult?”

“I’m sure you know,” he laughed and pulled her underneath him, enjoying her pout, thinking she almost looked more adorable than sexy in that moment.  She wriggled a bit as he placed soft kisses along her shoulder and neck before he whispered, “I was under the impression you were not a romantic, Min.  Neruda is pretty damned romantic.”

“Hey, I was under the impression that you weren't either.  You're the one with it on your e-reader.”  Every other word was paused just long enough for her to press her lips lightly against whatever she could reach.  All the while his hands searched the nooks and crannies of her, vowing to teach her not to bring another man up in his bed.

Now, if only he could explore the valleys and crags of her mind, because if her body was a room then her mind was a vast landscape, strange and curious.  Maybe then he would have his fill of this woman who puzzled him so, but there was only one way to be sure, and getting her to open up seemed a near impossible task.

Nakamura was doing her own exploration, using knowledge from previous trysts to make him rush to remove her underwear.  

“Why that poem?  I like that one too, is why I ask,” he stated through stuttered breath, rubbing against her.

“One line, really...” she tugged his hair impatiently.  “I want you in me, Shinya.  You started this.”

He lined himself up, but held back.  “Which line, Min?”  He felt he knew the answer already.  It was the same he would have given in this situation, pressed against this woman capable of stirring his heart like no other—which was all the more reason he wanted to hear her lust-filled voice recite the words.

She kissed him then, halting almost all of his thought with the skillful dance of her tongue, but still he did not move, and she grew too restless to ignore him.

Her kiss-stung lips moved around the words, tone lusty and said, _“I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret,”_ she stopped because he entered her then.

“Continue,” he grinned down at her, refusing to thrust once more, determined to hear the rest.

 _“…between the shadow and the soul.”_  Satisfied, he swallowed the end of her words in a hungry kiss and ended his break with a rhythm he knew would earn him her most desperate gasp.  And as the two of them came again, Kougami finally knew he wouldn't be willing to let Seki take  _any_ of her away from him.

 

_**To Be Continued...** _


	27. Delving Deeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Division One makes their secret trip to search for more clues about the bodies they found, using the notes left by Mina's brother as a guide.   
> Erra and Ginoza finally share the next step in their relationship.

Kougami was anxious to start the day.  They had put a lot of effort into fitting all of the pieces together for this secret mission.  Kishio’s notes and journals had Mina interested in checking a cave of some sort for bodies.  At least, Mina explained, whatever was at their intended location was underground.  She was certain they would find the kind of evidence they were looking for on this trip.

Watching Mina translate her brother's notes had been quite entertaining for Kougami.  She talked out loud while she did it…to her brother, to herself, to no one in particular.  Usually, she used the most colorful assortment of curse words Shinya had ever heard out of a woman.  When he pointed it out, Nakamura had turned that foul mouth of hers on him, much to his delight.  There was something about her cursing at him that he found absurdly cute.  

Her passion and temper, he wanted to bottle it to have on hand in case his life ever returned to those days before Akane had showed him it was okay for him to _want_ to live his life as a man, not a hunting animal.  Akane had reignited his love of detective work, of learning and thinking for himself and striving for true justice.  While Mina certainly kept those fires stoked, reminding him of Akane’s fierce determination, she had also made him remember that there was more he had once loved about life than detective work.  She had reminded him of days when all he could be bothered to care about was a fine day on the job, a glass of whiskey with his friends, and sex with a beautiful woman.  Knowing what he knew now about this hellscape, Kougami had felt nothing but guilt towards those days.  Little by little, Mina was making him believe he could still enjoy those parts of life _and_ know the truth.

Glancing briefly over his shoulder as he stuffed more supplies into a bag, he smiled to himself while Mina animatedly told Kunizuka some story that he doubted needed all flailing had motions.  He couldn’t help but snort out a nearly silent laugh before getting back to the job at hand.

Getting all the tools that Mina thought she might need for the body recoveries had not been a problem.  It was the rappelling and video equipment that had taken some serious finagling.  Luckily, between Kou and Pops, they had enough connections in the “enforcer black market” (as coined by Nakamura), that they had managed to smuggle it all in.  They were unable to get pre-made harnesses, so they would have to do with making Swiss seats out of lengths of rope.    

Gino was doing his best to be supportive and actually managed to procure an unmarked van that had no ties to the CID, which they would use after arriving at the “group exercise” location and switching out of the official paddy wagon once.  Kougami was positive that their Inspector Kamiya had more to do with that than Gino was willing to admit.  Kamiya’s belief in Mina, and whatever special touch she had with her partner, was proving to work in everyone's favor.  As far as Kou was concerned, she was the best damn thing to happen to his old friend.

Kamiya had managed to make it look, as far as everyone up to the chief was concerned, like Division One was going on a team building exercise.  According to her, they were actually supposed to do things like that at least twice a year.  When she had told all of them this, she had given Ginoza a look that would have melted lesser men.  

Mina's room had become the dedicated lab space to which everything would return, and Kunizuka had managed to get them communicators that would not connect to Sybil, but only to each other.  Of course, the downside to this meant there would be no chance for backup should something go wrong, but Kougami suspected Shion would not have agreed to let Yayoi do something so reckless without privately tracking her lover’s whereabouts. 

All supplies were ready.

On top of all of that, every enforcer was ready to go.  All of these latent criminals were more than ready to do something out of the ordinary.  

The only problem was that there was absolutely no sign of the inspectors in charge of Division One.  It wasn’t as if they were late, but Kougami had never known Gino not to take advantage of an early start when he was already nervous to begin with.

Masaoka was the last enforcer that entered the office that morning, and the first thing he asked the group was, “No Inspector Ginoza already this morning?”

Kougami shook his head.  “I’m as surprised as you, Pops.  You don’t think he’ll get cold feet, do you?”

Masaoka looked as if it was something he wasn’t 100% sure of.  “If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll stay far away from this disaster,” he muttered mostly to himself.  Kougami knew that this was the sort of trouble Pops feared would send his son down the same doomed path as himself, but he also knew that Pops wouldn’t try to change Gino’s mind once it was made up.  For that, Kougami was grateful.  In his opinion, Gino needed this kind of slap in the face to open his eyes.

Noticing Pops looking around in astonishment, the confused father pointed out, “and no Kamiya, yet, either?”

Mina and Yayoi eyed each other before Yayoi said, “She went out with Inspector Ginoza last night.”

Shinya felt himself blink several times, not quite grasping the statement for what it was.  “What do you mean, ‘out?’  Not like…”

“Yes, Kou,” Mina interrupted.  “Like a date.  They went on a date.  Try not to have a stroke.”

“Huh?  Why didn’t you tell me before?” Kougami asked, incredulous that everyone seemed to know but him.  “You knew, too, Pops?”

“Well, yes.  I saw them before they left last night and we shared a drink.  That Sassafrass was even more stunning than usual.  I never thought I’d live to see a day I was jealous of a woman on my own son’s arm…not Nobuchika,” he laughed distractedly.  “Still,” Masaoka mused, “at least one of them should be here by now for a mission as big as this.  Unless…I mean…It’s Ginoza.  I’m sure they didn’t spend the night together, right?”

Kunizuka shrugged, buttoning up the front of her familiar long coat.  “Shion was being nosy this morning and checked the parking garage.  She says Inspector Kamiya’s car is there—but obviously there’s still no Kamiya.”

Masaoka looked equal parts stunned and delighted.  Kougami couldn’t understand why the rest of the enforcers were hiding smiles behind their hands or why Mina put an arm around Pops’ shoulders and gave him a knowing look.

Of course he understood what they were all implying, but, “Come off it, guys.  We’re talking about Gino here!  Has he ever even seen a woman naked?”  Shaking his head, his brow heavily creased, he plucked a cigarette out of its pack and lit it.

“True,” Kunizuka commented, with her hand on her chin in deep thought, “but even our dear, uptight inspector can’t be fool enough to miss a chance with Kamiya’s ass.  You _have_ seen it, right, Kou?”

Shinya found himself grinning around his cigarette, because yes, of course he had.  Honestly, if Mina weren’t around, he likely would have asked her for some “stress relief” himself.

He heard Mina warn playfully, “Careful, Yayoi.  Shion might get jealous if she hears that,” before walking over and smacking Kou’s head out of his brief daydream, as if he had been the one to make the comment.

Kunizuka laughed, before adding, “She likes it better than I do!”  

The others snickered some more, Masaoka leaning back proudly as if to declare to the heavens, “Atta boy, Nobuchika!”

Kougami clicked his tongue at the lot of them and went back to packing the gear.  He might have been suspicious if Kamiya had gone out with any other person in all of Tokyo, but this was Ginoza. The rest of them could speculate all they wanted, but Kougami would need a lot more to go on before he would believe his high school best friend had _finally_ found someone to loosen his tie.

 

************

Erra blinked lazily as she woke from her comfortable sleep.  She felt Ginoza’s eyes on her from somewhere behind.  Smiling softly, she said, “Quit watching me sleep, Gino.”

She turned slightly and caught his smirk.  His arms were crossed where he stood, and he shook his head before taking a step to head on to his bathroom.

Tauntingly Erra added, “Unless you’re actually going to do something about it.”

Gino stopped.  As he turned to face her gradually, he said, “About what?”

Again Kami’s voice was teasing, erotic and pouty, as she responded, “About what?  Tch.  Come on, Gino.  Just do it already.  You know you’ve been dying to kiss me since last night.”

Ginoza’s eyes widened briefly followed by him clenching his jaw in a frown.  She wondered if he knew how much sexier he looked when he got all stern like that.  He stepped slowly to the edge of the bed and sat down beside her.  Placing a hand on her back, he gently led her to a seated position facing him.  Nobuchika took his glasses off and stared at her with his stunning green eyes, and Erra felt the increasingly familiar anxious fluttering fill her body.

Keeping his eyes trained on her, Gino leaned in slowly, pausing just before her lips.  Erra’s breath was stuck in her throat.  She felt like she might actually pass out if he didn’t close the gap.  Tilting his face upwards, Ginoza placed a short kiss on her nose and pulled back as he replaced his glasses.

Kamiya’s eyes were wild and she felt overwhelmed by sensation as she growled, “What the hell was that?”

Ginoza retorted, “Damn it, Kami!  Stop teasing me all the time!”

She raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips.  She never thought he would have the balls enough to taunt her back.  Kami had always used her teasing to hide behind, but she wasn’t great at being teased in return.  She was irritated with him—yet she also felt herself terribly turned on.

Sighing, Gino told her, “You’re right again, of course.  I am.  I mean, I’m _dying_ to kiss you—but not since last night.  I can’t even remember how long I’ve wanted you now.  I think about it all the time.  I think about _you_ all the time.”

Erra’s face burned with anticipation and longing.  He continued as he agonizingly traced her lips with his fingers, “I’ve thought about how your lips will feel against mine.  I’ve thought about our bodies leaning into one another.  I’ve thought about how good you’ll taste, for God’s sake.”  He fingered her long red hair, and the look in those eyes of his reduced Erra to nothing more than base desire.

Then his face resumed its normal irritated expression, “But I’ll be damned if I let your smart mouth boss me into it.”

Kamiya’s mouth gaped at his admission.  His bluntness only fueled her need for him.  He stood and headed for the bathroom to get ready for their work day, looking back at her only once where she sat still frozen in shock.  As Gino closed the door behind him, an infuriatingly smug smile on his face, Erra flung herself back against the bed and smothered a pillow over her face, squealing loudly into it and trying urgently to hide from the twisted craving swirling inside of her.

 

************

The arrival of Erra and Inspector Ginoza together made Mina and Yayoi giggle.  There was no helping it.  Masaoka was grinning from ear to ear, and Kou looked like he was, indeed, having a stroke, though only for a moment before he scrunched his nose and shook his head.  Mina wondered how much proof Kougami required.  She, for one, sincerely hoped that the two inspectors had released some of that tightly wound sexual tension together.  It would do them both some good.  

In fact, as she had been ushered into the back of their unmarked van from the paddy wagon, she had nudged Erra and winked.  The redhead's blush made Mina's grin permanent for at least half the ride to their final destination. Though she was definitely happy that Erra had finally moved forward with her feelings, Mina couldn’t help but agree internally with Shinya that it seemed unlikely that Ginoza had ever been inside a woman’s bed.  She was only distracted from her hilarious mental images of Erra trying to instruct a novice Ginoza where to put everything by Kougami, who had sneaked his hand behind her, pushed up the back of her shirt a little, and was lightly rubbing his fingers across her lower back. 

Her breath had hitched a bit at the contact, and out of her peripheral vision, she had seen him grin.  He was getting bolder, and she was okay with that.  The mood of the morning certainly lent itself to flirting, and she was happy to revel in it while they still could.

It seemed like it took no time to reach the decrepit city, and the mood went somber.  As they exited the van, no one was immune to the sight before them.  The scenery itself looked post-apocalyptic.  Collapsed buildings overrun with vegetation were everywhere.  It was odd to see so much concrete torn asunder by vines and trees.  Even the smell was different.  It wasn't quite the smell of a city, nor was it the earthy bouquet of a forested area.  If she hadn’t already read about it in her brother’s notes, Mina would never have believed a place like this existed on the outskirts of Sybil society.

Ginoza brought everyone out of their perusal with a shout.  Soon, they were all wearing backpacks full of equipment.  

Out of nervousness, Mina found herself pulling out Kishio's notebook and scanning to make sure she had read it correctly.  Inwardly, she cursed at her brother and threw something heavy and hard at him, because he really was a genius and his notes were damn near impossible to decipher.  Even after his death, he was managing to lord his intellectual superiority over her.   Mina found herself tempted to spout of obscenities at a ghost, but managed to keep them to herself.  Briefly, a thought of Kishio grinning wide and placing his hand on top of her head flashed through her mind and she relaxed.

Inspector Ginoza had admonished her fiercely for dallying, but Mina was smart enough to know it was because he was nervous, so she let it go.

The trek to her brother's coordinates was surreal.  The pattern of broken, cracked, and crooked buildings made her think of teeth, which led her to wondering if they were marching across a giant jaw bone.  Nakamura shook the thoughts out of her head.  They were here for a reason, and it would do no good to get distracted.

Kougami had sidled up beside her, carrying his heavy pack like it was nothing.  As if he had read her mind, he said, “ _This broken jaw of our lost kingdoms._ ”

“You read the T.S. Elliot I gave you,” she stated, stumbling a bit in the rocky debris.  In fact, she was actually a little shaken by how well he had nailed her thoughts.    

 “It may not be what he meant, but a lot of the imagery fits, wouldn’t you say?”  He was lighting a cigarette, and she was struck by the shape of his lips.

“It's strange.  That's my favorite poem.”  Mina oddly found herself hiding behind her hair, unsure why that particular admission felt so personal to her.

“Of course it is.  What's your favorite line?” He helped lift her over a rather high bit of rubble, cigarette dangling between his lips.  

She shook her head.  All the sudden, she felt very vulnerable.  She moved a large branch out of his way to let him pass.  

“One I like is, ' _Let me wear such deliberate disguises, Rat's coat, crowskin, crossed staves, In a field Behaving as the wind behaves,_ ’” he quoted, and then looked at her, waiting.  

She couldn't look at him as she uttered the next lines of her favorite part.  “ _Trembling with tenderness, Lips that would kiss, Form prayers to broken stone,_ ” she stated, before adding, “At least right now that’s it.  My favorite part changes with my mood.  It seems fitting, doesn't it?”  

“It does.  That is rather romantic of you Mina.”  The grin he gave her was devastating.  

A call up ahead signaled that they were at the coordinates she’d given them all, and the enforcer found herself rushing ahead quickly, despite the weight on her back.  

There was a cave in, just like her brother had written, and the smell that wafted up held the faintest scent of human decay.  It hit her then that this was why her brother died.  Whatever he had found here, was enough for someone to want him gone so badly they would bludgeon him to death.  

A hand found hers, and immediately, she knew it was Erra's.  It struck her, how much that gesture meant.  Erra was a friend, privy to her insecurity, and in seeing it, the inspector had chosen to comfort rather than scold or ignore.  It was baffling how secure she felt in that moment.  One touch from her friend was enough to ground the emotions that ran amuck in her psyche.  There was a purity to their friendship that couldn't be qualified.

“Are you going to be with me?”  Mina asked, trying not to sound desperate.

“I'll be with you all the way,” she affirmed.  Then her hand was gone, and everyone went to work.      

 

*************

“Just a moment,” Ginoza said before Mina and Erra could be hooked into their harnesses.  “I need to talk with my partner alone.”

Everyone frowned.  Kami started, “Inspector, you’re not talking me out of this.  It has to be done.”

He rolled his eyes, and said, “All of you can relax.  I’ve let it go this far.  We’re already in trouble if we get caught.”  Taking a deep breath, he gestured to Erra with his head, “Inspector Kamiya and I have the most to lose from this.  You all know that to be true.  I just want to talk to her away from any pressure and make sure this is what she really wants.”

Erra’s eyes flashed with anger.  “Ginoza, don’t be so patronizing!  You don’t have to treat everyone like stupid children all the time.  I’m more than capable of deciding for myself—“ but Kami was quickly interrupted by her partner’s scolding tone.

“Would you just shut your smart ass mouth for once and let someone else _worry_ about you for a change?”

The whole group stood still.  No one dared move or speak.  They couldn’t believe Inspector Ginoza had dared to say such a thing in front of everyone.  Erra was taken aback, but impressed that Ginoza would say something so personal in front of the Enforcers.  She glanced down quickly at Mina, checking that her Enforcer didn’t think that her friend was backing down by taking a moment with her nervous partner.  Mina gave Kamiya a short nod to let the Inspector know that she trusted her to make the right call.

“Tch,” Erra huffed. “Fine. Let’s get this over with,” she said as she walked towards a distant line of building rubble, to have some semblance of privacy.  Inspector Ginoza followed closely behind.

Arms crossed, Kamiya leaned back against a crumbled wall and glared at the tall, slim man directly in front of her. “What have I done to irritate you now, Inspector?” she asked, voice full of aggravation.

“You don’t have to do this, you know, Erra?  You can back out,” he said seriously.

“Gin-“ she was interrupted again.

“They don’t have anything to lose!  You could lose your job…your station…if things go really badly, you could be labeled latent or even get yourself kill—,” his voice pleaded for her to listen to reason.  “If this makes you too uncomfortable, just say the word.  I won’t let any of them say anything against your decision,” Gino’s tone made it clear that he really didn’t want Kamiya to be the one to go down in the hole alone with Enforcer Nakamura.  Erra could see in his eyes, however, that he held little hope of being able to actually talk her out of it.

“I have to do this, Ginoza.  I want to.  Mina trusts me.  If you go down with her, nothing will get done.  It _has_ to be me, okay?” Erra repeated what they had already discussed before leaving HQ.

His eyebrows furrowed and he took a step closer to her, uncrossing his own arms.  “It’s dangerous, Erra,” he said with concern.

“I know it is, but you’ve seen what I can do with my Crime Co-efficient,” she reminded him.  “I can do this,” Erra stressed.

Ginoza ran his thumb and forefinger down the length of Kamiya’s ginger braid, sending a shiver down her spine from his tender gesture.  “I know you can, Erra, but that doesn’t make me any happier about it.  I want to help you. I’m not useless.  No one important to me ever thinks I can get the job done.  They all just assume I’ll fail them before I even have a chance to try.”

The quick-on-her-feet Kamiya was suddenly at a loss for response, snarky or otherwise.  She wanted to tell him that wasn’t what she thought of him at all.  How could his confidence be so low when he was the very top inspector of the CID?  The trust she had in her partner as a colleague was something unique by most standards.  His skills as a leader, his dedication to the job, and the trust she had in him to protect her specifically were completely unparalleled, if you were to ask Kamiya.

Instead of the compliments, she went to a place she was comfortable.  Her reply was rude, but her gaze was kind, “Gino… you’re an idiot.”  Erra closed her teal eyes for a moment and just breathed in the scent of Nobuchika’s now familiar cologne.

“Just promise me,” he began, gently sliding both sets of his slender fingers behind her head to tilt her face up, “promise me you’ll let me help you.  I can’t watch you suffer like the last time.  If something in there is too much for the two of you, call for us and I’ll come running.  I swear it.”  His green eyes intense behind his frames, he stressed, “Promise, please.”

Erra’s stomach was tensed so tight she felt like she couldn’t move.  She could barely take in his words from concentrating so hard on Gino’s close proximity, his breath tickling her features, hands cupping her face, eyes full and earnest.  She knew her face must be flushed and that he could surely feel the heat radiating from her skin where his fingers lay.

As her eyelids grew heavy with longing, she softly answered, “Consider it promised.”

Ginoza looked relieved as he tilted his head slowly down to Kami’s face.  Gently he brushed his full lips against hers, pausing slightly between each caress to savor the feelings.  A shaky breath released between them at the relief of finally reaching this moment.  Erra uncrossed her arms finally and draped them over Nobuchika’s shoulders as their first real kiss continued.  Gradually it grew from short, exploratory lips feathering eagerly together into a deeper velvety touch.  Pulling softly on one another’s bottom lips, they gently tasted each other before Ginoza pulled back.  He had only moved his mouth a hairsbreadth away, his forehead still leaned against Erra, but it was too much space as far as she was concerned.

A quiet moan and tighter grip around his shoulders brought their lips crashing back together with hungry intensity. As Erra parted her lips to allow Gino’s tongue entrance, he released her face and laced his long arms around the small of her back.  Lifting her into him, he whimpered softly as he finally tasted the lips and tongue that had been tempting him for so long.  Kamiya’s knees were beginning to grow weak.

Neither of them had any intention of breaking their kiss until they heard Yayoi’s voice shouting from behind the set of ruins.  “Inspectors?  Everything alright?”

Erra released her own soft whimper as Nobuchika pulled away, but he left a thumb securely gripping her belt loop as she stuck her head around the wall to catch the enforcer’s eyes.  “Everything is fine, Kunizuka. We’ll be right there.”  Yayoi raised a suspicious eyebrow, but said nothing as she turned to walk back to the group.  They heard the sound of cracking bricks growing fainter, as she stepped across the debris.

Leaning back against the wall, Ginoza’s hands resting lightly on her hips, Erra smiled peacefully as she kept her teal eyes locked on his.  She opened her mouth to speak, only managing two words before Gino interrupted.  “That was—“

“Don’t do it, Kami,” he warned.  Erra scoffed as she gave him a puzzled glare.  “You know were about to make some smart ass comment to diffuse the tension.”

Feigning shock, she sarcastically replied, “That doesn’t sound like me at all.”

Raising an eyebrow and pursing his lips, Ginoza shook his head and muttered, “Don’t test me, Inspector,” before placing another long, silky kiss on her mouth.

Eyes still closed as he pulled away, Erra’s smile faded as she realized they had to get back.  “I don’t want this to end, yet.  Why did you have to do this right now?” she whined.

“I couldn’t take missing another chance.  We don’t know what’s down there.  My heart was pounding painfully with the anxiety, so I gave it a better reason to be pounding so hard,” he teased as he tugged her hips closer with the harness straps around her body.  Erra laughed softly, pleased that he would share a joke with her at a time like this.

“Besides, who said it was ending?” Gino asked lowly.  “Be careful down there and don’t get yourself into trouble and I promise to pick up right where we left off when I get you to my place.”

Her mouth fell open slightly, aroused by his claim.  “Your place?  Hn.  I can’t promise I’ll stop at your lips,” she taunted.

Instead of looking embarrassed as she had imagined, Ginoza looked confident as he replied, “Promise you won’t.”

Erra’s heart fluttered.  She stood to her tiptoes and placed a kiss on his cheek before whispering against his ear, “Consider it promised.”

She made it only a few steps with Ginoza trailing behind her, before she said, “Damn it, Gino!  That was impossibly cruel of you!”  She spun and shoved him back against the stone wall, lifting to her toes and kissing him feverishly again.  She would have been content to drop everything and stay right where she was for hours.  Gino’s hands were everywhere and desirable and left a fiery trail in their wake.

Speaking between kisses, sounding very unconvincing, Ginoza managed, “We…have to…get back.  It’s…been too long already.”  Erra’s grumble turned into a soft moan as her partner grew bolder and started placing kisses across her throat and up to her ear.  She had wanted this so badly for so long now, that she was having a hard time _not_ stripping off his shirt as they continued to taunt one another.

Sucking in a sharp breath she pushed away, leaving the two of them standing there looking slightly drunk.  “You’re right,” she huffed.  Composing herself, but barely, she added, “but don’t think I’ll let you forget this tonight.  You won’t be getting off so easily.”

Both of their eyes widened as they realized the accidental naughty double meaning of what she had just said.  They both laughed embarrassedly, and she could feel his heart begin racing even faster where her hand was resting on his chest.  This was exciting and new but the job had to come first.  Again Kamiya began to walk back.  She didn’t make it far before a firm grip on her wrist pulled back around the corner of that blessed wall.

“Erra,” he cooed low and soft.  “I’m very much regretting not having kissed you sooner…or waiting until we were truly alone.  I clearly underestimated by ability to hold back.” 

Erra’s heart was pounding by now and Ginoza’s kiss-swollen lips weren’t helping matters.  He had never looked better to her than he did in that moment…with an expression like he was ready to devour her wholly.  She nodded agreement, regretting that they were working, but only managed a trembling breath in response.

He leaned forward with his own shaky breath, resting his forehead against hers, his hands holding onto hers.  Squeezing his eyes closed and speaking in barely more than a whisper, he said, “I’m really trying to compose myself.  I am…but I don’t stand a chance against you, Erra.” 

Both of their eyes fluttered open and she couldn’t help the look of pure affection she returned to him.  Laughing breathlessly, she said, “And here I was thinking the same thing.” 

Ginoza’s smile suddenly seemed endless and she was gone.  She couldn’t see any way to save herself from falling completely in love with that man.

Briefly, she tugged his hand towards the path through the crumbling buildings before letting go, as the two of them walked back to the rest of Division One… trying _not_ to look like two giddy school kids coming out from behind the bleachers.

 

************

Kougami frowned, watching from a distance as Mina finished the last loops of her Swiss seat.  It shouldn't have been a shock that she knew how to make her own rappelling harness, but it was especially annoying for him, how well she did it.  For some strange reason, he had been prepared to teach her how to do it.  Masaoka, who was just watching her tie it, had simply slapped her on the back with a “good job.”  He had made a joke, and she had pushed him lightly to the side. 

He had tied Erra's just a few seconds ago, and checked that it was entirely secure, right before Ginoza called for his partner.  Shinya had been a little afraid of how Nobuchika would react to how close he had to get to Kamiya's hip, butt, and thigh area when tying the seat.  To be honest, her ass was quite distracting, and he would have understood if his former partner had issue with the closeness. 

Kougami had not been able to take the process quickly, it was just too tempting.  The whole time she questioned him about rappelling, and Kou could tell she was nervous, and nothing he said seemed to make her feel better.  “I just really hate not being able to see where I'm going!”  Her exclamation had made him a chuckle a little.   

Kougami was glad to surmise that Gino trusted him enough to perform the task.  Gino probably didn't realize it, but since Erra had joined Division One, he had been placing a lot of trust in Kou.  It was heartwarming in a way that Kou couldn't admit.  _Damnit_ , he missed his friend.  

Gino had it bad, and Erra was not going to let him bulldoze her.  It was a good arrangement, Kou thought.  When the two went off to 'talk' between the fallen walls, he approached Mina, and Masaoka managed to find something to do with Yayoi.  

“How did you learn to do this?” His question came out angrier than he meant it.  

“My brother taught me.  Twice over.  He thought it would be a good skill to have.  Plus, he promised to buy me all the chocolate I wanted if I got it right in two goes.”  Her grin was naughty, or at least, he thought it was.    

“If only I had known that was the way to get you to follow the rules...” he volleyed.  

“You have other things to barter with.  Anyway, do you think I managed to make it secure.  It's been a really long time.”  She was smirking, the flirt.  

He had created a monster, and he liked it.  “Let me test it a bit.”  With his words, he looped his fingers into the front of the seat, and pulled, with force.  The short cry of surprise was enough to keep him going.  “Oh, I like this...”

She smirked and pulled back, and just to show that he could, he pulled harder.  Mina clearly had been expecting that motion, and she used it to her advantage.  She allowed his force to fuel her momentum, and he came very close to winding up flat on his back as she barreled into him, giggling.   

All talk and horseplay stopped as Mina hooked to the rappel line, looked below her, and started her descent.  He couldn’t stop himself from leaning over the large hole to track her progress as far as possible.  It felt wrong to not be the one going down with her.   

When it was Erra’s turn, he was grateful to be able to stop thinking about all that could possibly go wrong to help Erra calm down a little and orient herself before she started a much slower descent.   

Kougami turned away and lit a cigarette after hearing both the women’s voices float from a depth that he could not see.  They were fine, and he knew they could both take care of themselves.  His ex-partner, on the other hand, seemed as if he might have a coronary at any moment. 

 

_**To Be Continued...** _


End file.
